The Not-So-Wonderful Diary of Miss Tori Vega
by WeBeTheCrew
Summary: *Formally titled Diary By Tori* Within each entry, read of how Tori Vega deals with pining after her crush, Andre Harris. But when Tori finally gets her chance at conveying her love, will the emotional guitarist return the feelings of the perky teenager? Also, Tori has to be mindful of those around her, for someone close would love nothing more than to see her cry. [Revising]
1. Dre and Jay?

**Part One: An Awkward Beginning**

**Entry #001: Dre and Jay?**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Wednesday, March 12th<em>**

**_11:27 P.M. _**

Have you ever been in love?

I mean, _really_ in love with someone who doesn't even acknowledge your feelings?

Well, I have… and it was anything but fun.

To look into his eyes and know deep in your heart that it'll never happen…

It'll get to you eventually.

To know that he would rather be with _her_…

I'll never understand why.

But to know exactly how all of this got to be; you'll have to go back about three days ago.

Oh, I forgot one other thing.

My name is Tori Vega, and this is how I lost my best friend.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Monday, March 10<strong>__**th**_

_**3:22 P.M. **_

Sunbeams were shining brightly through the kitchen windows.

It was almost impossible for me to not go out and enjoy the day as it was.

Spring Break had just started and I was eager to start enjoying it.

But I had to finish writing this monologue that was due next week and I really wanted to get it out of the way.

_**DING! DONG!**  
><em>

Who could that be?

I had no time to be bother by whoever was at the door.

"What? What is it?" I asked, as I opened the door.

It was **him**.

"Sup, Tori." smiled Andre Harris, standing there so charmingly.

Damn.

What was it about Andre that just made me… go loopy?

I didn't even care if I ever finished my monologue.

Andre was here.

* * *

><p>"Hey, what brings you here?"<p>

"I had just finished my monologue, so I thought I should come over and see how you're doing with yours."

Ugh, he wanted to help me with my monologue? Those five pages of scribble were the last thing on my mind.

"Uh, thanks. I appreciate it."

As I let him into the house, a whiff of his cologne grazed my face.

It was his favorite scent, **_Ralph Lauren Polo Blue_**.

Trust me when I say that it was _definitely _a great scent for him.

* * *

><p>As we both sat down at the kitchen table, he picked up my monologue and read it briefly.<p>

"So you're doing a piece about admitting your feelings to a crush?"

"Yeah… is that bad or something?"

"No, no. It's really good, actually. You've placed a lot of emotions into this."

"Yup,_ straight_ from the heart."

Why was I leaving subtle hints? Ugh, it's almost pointless to do so with most guys.

"So how long is your monologue?" I asked him, walking to the fridge to get us some drinks.

"About six pages. I wrote about the fears and uncertainties about my future and how I should overcome them if I ever want to become a successful musician."

"Wow, that's deep."

"I wouldn't exactly say that. It was basically the only thing I could come up with."

"It's still sounds like a great topic to me."

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>After he quietly finished reading my monologue, Andre asked something that surprised me.<p>

"So, aside from this monologue... how have you been doing?"

I had recently broken up with this guy named Davis.

Thought he was decent…

Boy, was I wrong.

A couple days ago, I caught him trying to hit on Cat.

I later found out that he also had another girlfriend over at Northridge High.

_Sighs_

What is it with me choosing guys who are just plain assholes?

"I've been doing fine. Thanks for asking." I replied, in a somewhat flirty tone.

I wasn't necessarily trying to flirt with Andre, but open myself up to where he would stop seeing me as _only _a friend.

Hopefully, it'll work one day… _hopefully_.

* * *

><p>"Davis was a complete ass for what he did to you." Andre stated, taking a sip of his soda.<p>

"Why you say that?"

I really wanted to see where he would go with this.

Just curious is all.

"Well… you're a _really_ special girl, Tori. It takes a real idiot to not know what he had all along."

Andre really knew what to say… at times. Thankfully, this was one of those moments.

"You need a guy who'll appreciate everything about you. Someone who won't take you for granted."

* * *

><p>Then why can't that guy be Andre?<p>

_Sighs_

If only.

* * *

><p>"Thanks, I really needed to hear that." I uttered, looking deep in his eyes, "Especially from you."<p>

"Me? I'm no one special."

"You are to me."

"_Really?__"_

"**_Really..._****_"_**

He returned my gaze and began slowly moving closer to me.

I felt as if something was about to happen.

Something amazing.

Something spontaneous.

And it did happen, just not how I thought it would.

* * *

><p><strong><em>*A musical chime comes from Andre's phone*<em>**

Perfect timing.

"Hold on a sec." he sighed, moving back and answering his phone.

You'll never guess who was on the phone… the _bitch_ herself.

"It's Jade. It'll only take a moment." spoke Andre, as he continued his conversation with Jade outside on the patio.

You see, Andre and Jade were partnered up for this huge drama/romance scene that was due in a month. During the past week, the two were growing really close.

And when I say _close_ I mean, so close that you would honestly think that _something _was going on between them.

But of course, there wasn't.

Jade was too faithful to Beck.

Thank God for that.

...

But what if she broke up with Beck and set her eyes on Andre?

I only hoped that Andre had common sense to not fall for that.

* * *

><p>"Okay, Ha ha. Talk to ya later, Jay." he laughed, coming back inside the kitchen.<p>

They even had silly nicknames for each other. Dre and Jay? Really? It was insane!

"So what did Jade want?" I asked, barely trying to sound interested.

"She wanted to meet up at Jet Brew to go over some new lines she wrote."

"Oh... Well, I guess you better get going then."

"I'll be back within at least an hour… maybe two." promised Andre, as he walked out of the front door.

"Thanks for visiting." I uttered, sadly.

I haven't been able to talk with Andre for more than ten minutes during these past week.

It wasn't that I didn't want Andre to get a good grade on his performance. It's just that I would have liked to spend more time with my best friend.

…

Okay, okay! That and I didn't like the idea of Andre _hanging _out with Jade.

Especially since Jade knew that Andre had a crush on her.

Ugh! I should have known that she would figure out that he was singing about her.

* * *

><p>As I sat back down at the kitchen table, I began working on my monologue again.<p>

But my mind slowly went back to Andre and Jade.

Only time would tell if anything would happen between the two of them.

And I was just a spectator.


	2. The Girl Who Waited

**Entry #002: The Girl Who Waited**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tuesday, March 11<strong>__**th**_

_**1:45 P.M **_

Andre hadn't returned at all yesterday or even call to tell me that he wasn't coming back.

I'm mad… but I feel like I shouldn't be.

Why, you ask?

As I said in my last entry, this project that Andre and Jade were doing was very important and if the two of them had to spend all night practicing to get it right, then so be it.

…

Yet here I am, furious that he didn't have the nerve to even call.

I mean, if you're not gonna return to someone's house after telling them you'll come back, at least call!

Ugh! Why did they have to get partnered up? Why couldn't he have been partnered up with Robbie instead?

I wouldn't be so freaked out if that was the case, but no! It had to be Jade! Who knows what she could be doing to him now…

What if he…

What if he forgot about me?

What if Jade got to him?

Sure, Jade was with Beck, but…

It was clear that she had _some _feelings for Andre, and I already knew that Andre liked her as well.

It could have happened.

Jade could have seduced Andre and… Ugh, I don't even want to think about it.

But it wasn't as if Andre and I had an intimate relationship going on or that my feelings for him were returned; it was always a friendship, a _close_ friendship.

Sure, we depended on each other plenty of times, but it always felt like something that friends do.

Nothing more, nothing less.

_Sighs_

Even though I _soooo _wished that there was more between us.

But I know what you're thinking.

_"What about that moment that you two shared yesterday?"_

If whatever was about to happen between us was really important, then wouldn't Andre have at least said something about it?

At all?

But he didn't.

* * *

><p>However, both Andre and Jade liked each other and something more could have come from that.<p>

It was only a matter of time before it happened.

But that was the thing with friendships.

Friendships come and go.

Friendships could be forgotten.

Ugh, I'm ranting way too much.

I could sit and complain about Jade and Andre possibly hooking up or I could go out there and do something about it.

Guess you already know which one I chose.

* * *

><p><strong>2:39 P.M.<strong>

I was just about to leave the house to look for Andre, when Trina arrived.

"Where are you going?" she asked, walking past me and sitting down on the sofa.

"I'm gotta find Andre." I answered, "For some reason, he's not answering his phone."

"Well of course not, I saw him and Jade at the library near our school."

"The library? Really?"

"Yeah, why is that so hard for you to understand?" Trina asked, grabbing the remote off the table and turning on the TV.

"Well… you rarely go to the library."

"I do, too! Like today, I saw this really cute guy going in there and I spent 15 minutes trying to talk to him."

"You spent 15 minutes trying to talk to some guy in the library?"

"Yeah, but then that mean old librarian kicked me out because I was _too _loud. It's ridiculous!"

"You do know that you have to be **quiet** in a library."

"Tori, Tori, Tori. So pretty, yet so naïve. They wouldn't kick me out because of that." she scoffed, returning her gaze to the TV.

This was surely one of those moments where I really felt sorry for Trina. But I couldn't let that bother me right now.

I had some very important business to take care of.

* * *

><p>After driving for about 5 minutes, I finally arrived at the library down the street from Hollywood Arts.<p>

Hopefully Trina's information was true, but then again, I was hoping that it was wrong. Dead wrong.

Upon entering the library, I immediately bumped into Robbie and Rex as they were about to leave.

"Hey, Tori." smiled Robbie, holding the door open with his free hand.

"What's up, sweet thing." pestered Rex, staring at me, "You lookin' pretty good today."

Ugh, I didn't have the time to talk to them! I had to find Andre and Jade!

"Hi, Robbie. Hi, Rex. Can't talk right now." I rattled, as I rushed past the two.

Sadly, they didn't take the hint.

"So what'cha been up to lately?" asked Robbie, as he followed closely.

"Not much, just gotta find Andre." I responded, walking faster and looking around the vast library for a glimpse of Andre.

"Andre? We saw him heading towards the reference section with Jade earlier." stated Robbie.

I stopped walking.

The words that were uttered by Robbie made my heart stop beating.

_The reference section of the library_.

Anybody who's anybody would know that the reference section was the most quiet part of this library.

Complete silence.

But that wasn't the bad part about it.

Because of its quietness, the reference section was infamous for the constant make out sessions that happened there.

It was the perfect ingredients for a couple to make out in:

Complete silence.

Secluded study rooms.

And in some areas, dim lighting.

And both Andre and Jade were in there! Why would they even be in the reference section? Their scene has to be completely of their imagination, no outside sources or references.

But that wasn't what was worrying me.

The very thought of Andre… kissing Jade…

…

As I stood there, in the middle of the library, a tear ran down my cheek.

A part of me wanted to just cry and run out of that library. But I couldn't! I had to be strong. I had to keep going, despite what I might find out.

* * *

><p>Taking a deep breath, I wiped the tear away and continued walking.<p>

"Uh, thanks, Robbie." I spoke, as I headed up the stairs that led to the reference section.

"No problem, tell them I said, 'Hello'." uttered Robbie, waving goodbye.

"Andre's gonna be too busy up there, if you know what I mean." laughed Rex.

"Uh, maybe you're forgetting something. Jade _has_ a boyfriend." Robbie corrected him.

"That wouldn't stop me." responded Rex.

"You're sick, you know that?!" Robbie exclaimed, as I began losing sound of their argument.

* * *

><p>Entering the reference section, I immediately felt a deafening silence fall over me. This was soon broken by the gentle sounds of kissing, breathing and groping.<p>

So much groping.

Boy, the librarians should really walk back here once in a while, cause it was ridiculous.

As I passed each aisle, I only noticed some people that were actually trying to study and some people whom were trying to swallow one another.

But no sign of Andre or Jade.

I then moved on to the hallway that contained the study rooms.

I could only hope that they weren't in there as well.

* * *

><p>Some of the windows to these rooms had their blinds shut, so I had to mostly depend on listening through the doors.<p>

One by one, I listened in on a guy studying quantum mechanics, a girl who would rather study than make out with her boyfriend, and some really heavy breathing and moaning in the last room.

But I was thankful it wasn't Andre and Jade.

It was two guys.

* * *

><p>I was just about to give up searching for them, when I heard Jade's voice coming from the room that was once quiet.<p>

"I really don't care, okay? We both like each other, right? For the longest time, I have wanted to be with you."

I could then hear Andre's voice say, "But, we can't... we just can't. You have a boyfriend and… if we were caught, it could ruin everything."

"Can't you feel this intensity that's between us? That spark that has been there since the beginning?"

Andre sighed, "Of course, but that doesn't make this any less risky."

"I want you... If you really don't care, then look at me and tell me that you don't want me." insisted Jade, who sounded as if she was about to cry.

"I _do_ want you… Why would you even ask me that? I can't picture myself with anybody but you." Andre replied.

"Then prove it… _kiss me_."

* * *

><p>I felt like my world was ending.<p>

It was over.

It was all over.

As I sat down on the floor, I began to cry.

I didn't care who saw me.

I was heartbroken from what I had heard, and I was just glad that things couldn't get any worse.

**_*A musical chime plays on my phone*_**

Damn! Who's calling me now?!

I quickly tried to hurry up and silence my phone, but it was too late.

The door began to open…

"Tori?"


	3. A Perfect Explanation

**Entry #003: A Perfect Explanation**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tuesday, March 11<strong>__**th**_

_**3:14 P.M.**_

The door began to open…

"Tori?"

My heart suddenly stopped, and I found it difficult to even breathe.

His confused look was a sign for me to hurry up and explain myself.

So I tried so desperately to form some kind of believable excuse.

"Andre! Hi! Sorry to show up on such short notice, but I really needed some help with my monologue."

Pausing briefly, I quickly got up from the carpeted floor.

"I tried to call you, but you haven't been picking up." I explained, trying not to sound obsessed.

His expression told me that he suddenly realized that he promised to return to my house the other day.

I could only wonder what his excuse was going to be.

* * *

><p>"Oh! I'm so sorry, Tori. I got caught up with the script that Jade wrote, and as for my phone, well... I left it in my jeans pocket and my grandma accidentally washed them."<p>

"Again?"

"Yeah, so I have to wait till Friday before I can get a replacement."

Couldn't say that I actually bought any of that, but it would explain a lot.

Plus it was really, really, _really_ hard to stay mad at him.

* * *

><p>"What's the holdup?" asked a voice that shattered the calm around me, "Oh, it's <em>you<em>. What are you doing here?"

It was the _bitch_ herself.

Jade West stepped out of the room and stood beside Andre.

As if he was her property… I couldn't stand it.

Before I had the chance to answer, Andre spoke up.

"She needed some help with her monologue, so she came to me for help." he explained.

"Seriously, Vega? You can't even finish your own homework without someone helping you?" asked Jade, with a look of disgust, "Can't you ask Robbie or Cat to help you? Andre and I have to practice this scene till it's perfect."

I wanted to just tell her off right there.

I was so close.

So very close, but… I couldn't.

"I guess I could… do that." I replied, meekly.

_Sighs_

I hated giving in like that, but I couldn't reveal my true intentions to Andre… especially in front of Jade.

"I'll just be going now." I stated, as I turned to leave.

"Tori, wait!"

* * *

><p>Turning around, I saw Andre walk up to me.<p>

"Look, I'm really sorry for not coming back. We've been extremely busy trying to make this scene absolutely perfect, and time has been flying by so much." explained Andre, in a calm and relaxed way that only he could do.

I'll admit, it was cute seeing him trying to explain himself.

"It's okay, I understand." I assured him, "But what I don't get is why the two of you are at the library. I thought you couldn't use references."

"We're not. The reason why we're here is because Jade's house is being fumigated. Something about some spiders that she were keeping in her room." Andre clarified, leaning back against the wall, "And we definitely couldn't practice over at my house. My grandma won't leave; she keeps insisting that there's a chicken running around the house. So Jade and I decided to come here."

Deep down inside I breathe a huge sigh of relief. I felt so much pressure being lifted from me.

THEY WERE JUST PRACTICING! NOT MAKING OUT! **WHOO! HOO!**

…

I'm good. I'm good. I'm calm now.

I'm serious. I'll _**try**_ not to make an outburst like that again.

* * *

><p>"Haha, that does sounds like your grandma." I uttered, as we both laughed.<p>

I really loved moments like this.

Ones where we could just have a quick laugh.

"Well, I should be going now." I added, as I began walking away, "I hope to talk to you soon."

"Don't worry. I promise- No, guarantee that I'll swing by later." vowed Andre, as I left the reference section, "Cause I've have something to ask of you."

_Something to ask of me?_ I thought, wondering what Andre had to ask me later.

From helping him with a song to helping him with his grandma; my mind thought of hundreds of reasons.

What was he going to ask me?!

* * *

><p><em><strong>6:58 P.M. <strong>_

Back home, I was getting closer and closer to finally finishing my monologue.

But my mind constantly went back to thinking about what Andre had to ask me.

It was almost 7 o'clock and Andre still didn't show up.

I began to think that a repeat of the other day was about to happen.

_This sucks!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>7:33 P.M.<strong>_

**_DING! DONG!_**

_Sighs_

Not having much hope anymore, I walked over to the door half expecting to see Robbie, Cat or Beck.

Heck, maybe even Sinjin.

* * *

><p>As I opened the door, I was surprised to see who stood there.<p>

"Sup, Tori? Told you I would make it."

I never felt happier. He made it, he actually made it.

"You did." I beamed, gesturing him to enter, "So… what exactly did you have to ask me?"

"Yeah, about that, you see Jade has a dentist appointment tomorrow…"

_Ugh! Did he have to mention her?_

"…so we won't be able to practice…"

_Okay, now this is starting to sound interesting._

"…But I was wonder, if you weren't busy…"

_Yes?! I'm not busy tomorrow._

"…if you wanted to come along with me…"

**_YES! YES! ALL AROUND YES!_**

"…to the Spring Break Beach Bash Festival?"

"Yes! Yes! I would love to go!" I yelled, as I joyously hugged him.

_Sighs_

Maybe this is a sign.

Maybe tomorrow will be more than just a day with my best friend.

Maybe it time that I finally tell him _everything._

At the moment, I only had one thought.

Tomorrow was going to be an amazing day.


	4. Too Far Gone

**Entry #004: Too Far Gone**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wednesday, March 12<strong>__**th**_

_**9:17 A.M.**_

I paced back and forth around the den.

Waiting to spend the whole day with Andre.

I couldn't wait!

All I could think about last night was spending a perfect day at the beach with him.

Without Jade or the mere thought of her.

* * *

><p><strong><em>*A musical chime plays on my phone*<em>**

It was Andre!

Please don't let him cancel. _Please_ don't let him cancel!

Hoping that he wasn't cancelling our plans, I answered my phone.

"Hello?"

**_{Hey, Tori. I'm gonna be a little late. I'll be there around 10.}_**

"Oh… okay, see you when you get here."

**_{Bye.}_**

"Bye."

* * *

><p>Sitting down on the couch, I tried to calm myself down by watching some cartoons.<p>

_He was just going to be a little late. At least he called this time._

All I had to do was sit and wait.

"Just be patient, Tori. Just be patient." I told myself.

I hated feeling like this.

The tension was killing me.

And only five minutes had went by.

"Ughhh!" I grunted, leaving the den and going up to my room.

* * *

><p>Jumping on my bed and grabbing the nearest pillow, I screamed into it.<p>

I couldn't understand it.

I'm usually better at being patient than this.

I once had to wait an extra five days for my purple clutch bag to be delivered to me.

Sure, on the fourth day I nearly threw a brick at the window, but I got over it.

* * *

><p>"Why is it so hard for me to be patience about this?" I asked myself, turning over.<p>

"It's cause you love him."

Jumping up, I was surprised to see Trina standing at the doorway.

I could have sworn that she had left the house earlier.

"Trina! What are you doing here?"

"I left my phone, so I came back to get it." she explained, "You still waiting for Andre?"

"Yes, and it's killing me!"

"Duh, it's cause you love him." repeated Trina, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

"Uh… no, no I don't." I lied, sitting up, "We're just best friends."

"You're lying. You smile a lot when you lie."

Dammit, she was right. I could feel myself smiling.

_Sighs_

"Okay, maybe I do have a have small crush on him." I lied.

"Only a small crush?" Trina questioned, obviously not believing me.

"Fine! I'm in love with that boy." I sighed, falling back on my pillows.

"I knew it, I could see this coming from a mile away." laughed Trina, checking her phone, "Don't know why you're stalling on telling him though."

I'll admit, it was weird hearing Trina talk to me like this.

Every blue moon, she would say something encouraging…

This was one of those moments.

"If you could just see how you two react with each other… it was obvious that there was something more there." she continued, putting her phone back in her pocket, "That's why you should go for it. Cause sooner or later, someone will get at him."

It was all true.

I knew what Trina was saying was right.

If I didn't make a move on Andre, some other girl would jump at the opportunity.

I still had Jade to worry about, so I didn't need other girls to compete with.

"You're right! I can do this! He's just my best friend that I've grown to love. I shouldn't be afraid to make a move on him. Thanks, Trina." I cheered, as I hugged her.

"Wait!" Trina yelled.

"What?"

"Do you have $20 on you? I'm a little short on cash."

And so ends this touching moment.

* * *

><p><strong>10:01 A.M. <strong>

**_DING! DONG!_**

It was time.

Exhaling, I was prepared for the moment that was about to come.

The parents were away.

Trina was gone.

It would be just the two of us.

No interruptions.

God, I hope this works.

* * *

><p>"Sup, Tori." Andre smiled, as I opened the door, "Are you ready to go-"<p>

Right there at that spot, I kissed him.

Lip-lock action.

I wanted him and nobody was going to stop me.

Was my approach a little... forceful?

Sure.

But I just wanted him so badly, and I was tired of waiting.

* * *

><p>"Tori… wow, uh… where did that come from?" he beamed, astonished by what just happened.<p>

"I'm tired, Andre. I'm tired of hiding my feelings for you." I stated, looking deep into his eyes, "I want you… and I need to know if you want me too."

"Tori…"

"Yes?"

This was the moment.

I anxiously awaited hearing Andre's answer.

Completely confident that he would say that he loves me too.

"I… I like you, I really do." he uttered, walking over to the piano, "But… I don't like you in that way."

…

_Wait... **W****hat?!**_

Was he joking?

He had to have been joking.

Was all of this real?

Why was this happening?!

* * *

><p>"You don't think of me that way?" I asked, walking up to him, "Why?"<p>

"Tori, I've only liked you as a friend. That's how it's been since day one." he explained, although he looked slightly confused for some reason, "I've always felt that it was the same with you. Strictly friendship."

"But what about the chemistry that we have? There's obviously something more between us! I can't be the only one that feels it!" I insisted, trying to make him understand.

It was at that moment that I notice that Andre kept avoided eye contact with me.

"Look, Tori. Can't we just go to the beach? We're gonna miss-"

"No, Andre. I want you to answer me first." I demanded, standing in front of him, "At least give me a good reason why you can't see us together."

* * *

><p>After a brief moment of silence, he spoke.<p>

"I can't."

"You can't?"

"Look, I don't have time for this." he snapped, walking towards the front door.

"Yet you _definitely_ have time for Jade." I responded, tearfully.

Turning around, Andre asked, "What does Jade have to do with us?"

"Everything! She's getting too close to you, and she knows that you have a crush on her. Something could happen!"

I really didn't expect for things to go this way.

_Sighs_

Why couldn't things have gone smoother?

Andre looked agitated when I said this, "Wait, do you actually think... that I would cheat with Jade? That I would actually betray my best friend?"

I really couldn't answer.

I just couldn't.

I was so distraught from all that was going on.

Why couldn't this all be over?!

* * *

><p>After another brief silence, Andre spoke again.<p>

"Is that what you really think of me?" he asked, looking disgusted, "That I would even think of doing such a thing? _*scoffs* _Then you obviously don't know me at all."

Hearing him say this, I realized too late that I was making a terrible mistake.

As Andre walked out the door, I cried, "Andre, wait. I'm sorry! Andre, please!"

"Don't call me and I won't call you." he replied, getting into his car and driving off.

* * *

><p>What did I do?!<p>

I took things too far.

Why didn't I tell him that I didn't believe that he would cheat with Jade?

God, why couldn't I just speak up?

* * *

><p>Leaning against the door frame, I slowly slid down onto the floor.<p>

I easily began crying heavily.

Just hoping that all of what happened was just a dream.

But it wasn't.

It was all my fault.

My fault.

I took things too far.

The perfect day… ruined.

My best friend… no more.


	5. Something Meaningful

**Entry #005: Something Meaningful**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thursday, March 20th <strong>__**  
><strong>_

_**11:59 P.M.**_

A little over a week had passed.

A week of painful silence and constant avoidance.

He would always look so distressed.

So disappointed that his best friend would think of him that way.

I seriously screwed up in the worse possible way.

* * *

><p><em>Sighs<em>

A part of me doesn't even blame him for being mad.

If I hadn't pushed him so much…

I would still have my best friend to talk to.

But now... now he mostly hung out with Beck and Jade.

During classes that we had together, he would make sure that he was sitting far from me.

I tried calling, texting, emailing; hell, I even went to his house to see if I could talk to him.

It would always end with his grandma throwing oranges at me.

Her aim was pretty spot on, cause she easily bruised my nose.

Which still hurts.

I mean, it _really_ hurt.

* * *

><p><em>Sighs<em>

But anyway, it wasn't until this afternoon during lunch that Andre decided to talk to me.

I was waiting in line to order some food, and he had to walk by me to get some extra napkins.

He didn't say much, it was just a simple, "Excuse me."

But that was it.

Nothing more, nothing less.

He honestly wanted nothing to do with me.

But strangely enough, there was something that kept nagging me.

Over a week ago, when I was trying to get the truth out of him, Andre would continuously avoid eye contact.

I thought nothing of it at first, but after awhile, it got me thinking.

Was he hiding something?

Something important that he really wanted to tell, but couldn't?

* * *

><p>Why?! Why?! Why?!<p>

Why must boys be so complicating?

Why must they always try to hide how they really feel or what they really have to say?

* * *

><p>…<p>

Ha ha, look at me… getting worked up over a guy.

But that was the problem.

Andre was not just some guy.

He was _the guy that I overlooked_.

From the day that we first met, he has always been there for me when I was down, and when I was at my best.

Same goes with him.

I was there to help him in his time of need, and when things were going great, I was always there to cheer him on.

Looking back at my past relationships, they would always end with me wishing for someone… someone like Andre.

But I, being completely clueless, failed to see what was really in front of me.

Clueless Ol' Tori.

But look where I'm at now. Clueless, without my best friend, and utterly miserable.

* * *

><p>For the past couple of days, I could barely eat, sleep, or even focus.<p>

In times like this, I would always have Andre to call and to be there for me.

But at the moment...

It was if I was living a life without him in any aspect of it.

I hated this feeling.

I **hated** it so much.

I just wanted my best friend back.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Friday, March 21st<strong>__**  
><strong>_

_**12:47 A.M.**_

I laid motionless in my bed.

Gazing at the moonlit sky that I could see out of my window.

Another sleepless night was underway.

Full of deep thought and painstakingly replaying memories of that horrible day.

"This is torture." I thought aloud.

Getting up out of my bed, I grabbed my phone and walked out of my room.

* * *

><p>Trying not to wake up anyone, I crept downstairs and went outside to the back patio.<p>

As I stood there, a gentle breeze blew through.

Mmm, I can't tell you how much this calm spring air was helping me.

The calmness of it alone was breathtaking.

It was as if all of my problems were temporarily wiped from my life.

Slowly, I remembered those nights where Andre and I would sit on this very patio.

We would do nothing but look up at the night sky for hours, and talk about our hopes, dreams, desires, and fantasies.

I really missed those moments.

* * *

><p>Walking over to the side of the yard that overlooked the cityscape, I looked at all of the twinkling lights.<p>

Taking in the magnificent sight of this beautiful city, I immediately started tearing up.

It was over.

Our friendship was over, and I needed to accept it.

Andre showed no sign that our friendship was fixable.

So what was the point in even-

_***A musical chime plays on my phone***_

* * *

><p>I smiled when I saw who was calling.<p>

Shocked, yet still smiling.

It was Andre!

For the first time in over a week, he was calling me.

I quickly calmed myself and answered the call.

"Hello?"

_**{Hey...}**_

"Hi..."

**_{What are you up to?}_**

"Standing on the patio."

**_{Oh.}_**

"You know, I'm shocked that you even called me. You've been avoiding me for as long as I can remember."

**_{I know… I know. It was wrong of me to even do that.}_**

"Then why did you?"

For a moment, Andre was quiet.

The silence was so awkward that I just wanted someone to just say something.

* * *

><p>Eventually, Andre broke the tension.<p>

{**_It's what you were saying. About there being something between us. Something more.}_**

"And what about it?"

He paused again.

**_{Nothing, it's nothing.}_**

I slowly began to tearing up again.

Growing tired of hearing this over and over again, I begged, "Andre… _please_… just tell me."

_**Click!**_

_**...Dial tone...**_

He hung up on me.

He actually hung up on me.

What in the hell was wrong with him?!

That was the most childish, impolite things that he has-

* * *

><p><em><strong>Knock! Knock!<strong>_

Someone was knocking on the wooden fence door.

Cautiously, I walked towards the door, but not before grabbing one of the loose bricks that lined the flower bed.

"Who's there?"

The voice that called out was very familiar.

"It's me, Andre."

"What?" I asked, looking through fence opening to see Andre standing there, "What are you doing here?"

After dropping the brick on the ground, I went to open the fence door.

As he casually walked in, I looked around to see if anyone else was around.

Closing the door and locking it, I questioned him, "You walked all the way here?"

"Y-yeah, couldn't sleep. So I decided to go for a walk."

"And let me guess, you just so happen to be in the neighborhood and decided to pay me a visit?" I asked, with my arms crossed.

Andre just sighed and kept looking away from me.

"What in the hell is this all about? I tried apologizing to you for days and I don't get any response at all. Then there's the phone call-"

"Okay, I know. It was rude and _*sighs* _I'm just trying to make things right."

I could tell that Andre was extremely nervous.

He wouldn't stop fidgeting around.

Whatever he had to tell me, he was just about to open up.

"You're finally gonna make things right?" I asked, tired of this charade, "Then just go ahead and do it. Although, you could have told me over the phone; that is if you didn't hang up on me."

"You don't understand, it was best to do this face to face."

"Then just tell me already."

Taking a deep breath, Andre swallowed hard and began explaining.

"I was scared, okay? When you told me how you really felt about me, it took me by surprise. I mean, I-I've always wondered if you felt... felt the same way, but..."

_Felt the same way?_

Could he be saying...?

Inching closer to him, I asked, "Andre… what are you saying?"

"It's better if I show you."

There at that moment, he walked up to me.

He then placed his hand on my cheek, and...

He kissed me.

He really kissed me!

No lie!

It was our second kiss, but it felt so much like our first.

* * *

><p>Gently, a cool spring breeze began blowing throughout the backyard.<p>

A delightful swirl of cool air danced around us as we continued to share our passionate kiss.

Mmm, this was definitely a perfect way for him to make things right.

* * *

><p>As we stopped kissing, Andre smiled, "Been wanting to do that for so long."<p>

Practically grinning, I replied, "Same here."

The soothing winds slowly began to calm down.

"Why were you so afraid?" I asked him, opening my eyes, "We could have talked about it or..."

"It was because if things didn't work out between us…" he began, looking calmly at me.

"It probably would have ruined our friendship." I added, finishing his sentence.

"But I almost let that happen anyway… by being a complete jackass."

"It doesn't matter, anymore. We both know the truth about each other."

"Yeah, that's true; but I really am sorry, Tori. I don't want to ever hurt you like that again."

"Just make sure that we'll always be there for each other. No matter what." I sighed, as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Deal." chuckled Andre, kissing me on my forehead.

We stood there in full embrace under the ethereal night sky.

It was the start of something new. Something meaningful.

It would be a night that I would never forget.

My name is Tori Vega, and this is how I regained my best friend…

And gained a boyfriend, too.


	6. Great Way To Start The Summer

**Part Two: Can Things Get Any Better?**

**Entry #006: A Great Way To Start The Summer**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sunday, June 1st<strong>__**  
><strong>_

_**6:45 A.M.**_

Is it wrong to feel this good?

Summer vacation had just started.

I finished the school year with all "A's".

And best of all…

I get to spend all summer with my boyfriend!

Whoo! Hoo!

So far our relationship has been going on for more than two months and things have been going great.

I had finally found a guy that fully appreciates me.

That was a **huge** first.

Two of my past boyfriends wanted nothing but sex, and when I didn't give in to them… they left.

But that wasn't the case with Andre.

_Sighs Happily_

He was such a gentlemen; a guy that knew how to treat a girl.

I could go on and on about how great things have been, but I won't.

I would never shut up about it.

But with all that has occurred, there was one thing that's been bothering me.

* * *

><p>During the past two weeks, Andre has avoided any discussion dealing with us… you know… having sex.<p>

So far, all we have been doing is making out; but before things could go any further, he would stop and make up some excuse.

The first couple of times, I thought nothing of it.

But as it kept happening, I grew curious about why he was acting this way.

Not because I wanted to rush into sex.

No, no, no.

But why was he making up these excuses to stop things from _continuing_?

It wasn't until yesterday that I finally asked him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Saturday, May 31st<strong>__**  
><strong>_

_**6:11 P.M. **_

The two of us were in my den watching a movie-

Wait, did I say watching? I meant _barely_ watching the movie, as in lip-lock action.

We had to have been making out for at least five... ten... fifteen... no, twenty minutes.

And boy, were things were getting heated!

Whenever he would start kissing me on my neck, it would send shivers down my back.

If only he knew how much that turned me on.

As he got on top of me, I gently grazed my hands down his back.

Slowly, I began to pull his shirt off to reveal his upper body…

God, he definitely worked out a lot.

…

Anyway, moving my hands across his muscles, I smiled, "You were looking a little hot, so I took your shirt off for you."

Of course, I had to add a really flirty look to that.

"If anyone's making me hot, it's you." he chucked.

Wow, we were so lame.

But in a good way.

* * *

><p>I could slowly feel things moving further and further.<p>

"Now I'm getting hot." I spoke, taking off my shirt to reveal the blue bra that I was wearing.

His expression instantly told me that he definitely like what he was seeing.

"Damn, now I'm really getting turned on." smiled Andre, as he stared kissing neck.

From there, he slowly moved down my body, kissing every inch.

Mmm, he was such a good tease.

He lingered a bit around my tummy, which really drove me crazy.

I began to squeeze his hands, eager for him to keep going.

But once he went below my naval, he stopped.

Why did he stop for? I mean, things were _really_ getting good.

* * *

><p>As he came back up to kiss me on the lips, I looked deep in his eyes and insisted, "Don't stop."<p>

I'll admit, I was a little caught up in the moment, but I really wanted him to keep going.

For a second, Andre looked as if something was bothering him.

He looked away from me and then turned his attention to his phone.

Grabbing it, he looked at the time and then rushed to grab his shirt.

"Dammit. Uh, I'm going to be late." he lied, getting up off of me, "I really enjoyed the movie, Tori. But I really have to get home."

I knew he was lying. We'd both agreed that we would spend all of tonight just watching movies.

If he really had something he had to do at home, he would have told me hours ago.

Curious about what was going on, I decided to ask him once and for all.

* * *

><p>"Wait, Andre." I uttered, grabbing my shirt and putting it back on, "What's the problem?"<p>

"Problem? What problem?"

"Whenever things get… steamy, you always have some excuse to stop and leave. It's the same way all the time and it's bugging me."

I could tell that he knew that I was telling the truth.

He just sighed and said nothing.

I then realized that there had to have been one good reason why Andre was behaving like this.

"Is it because I'm a virgin, because if it is-"

"No! Of course not."

If not that, then what was it?

I wasn't interested in seeing Andre play charades again.

"Then just tell me what it is. Remember, we're a couple now, so we don't have to be afraid to tell each other what's bothering us."

"Tori… _*sighs*_"

Walking over to him, I grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the sofa to sit down, "Tell me, please?"

Sighing heavily, he reluctantly explained everything.

"I wanted to take things slow with us. I don't want us to rush quickly into sex."

"Okay, I understand."

"No, no you don't. Not yet." added Andre, with a serious expression, "About two and a half years ago, I dated this girl, Lauren... and she was my first."

Listening to his story, I tried to understand exactly where this was going.

"Lauren was an amazing girl." Andre continued, "We were together for almost a full year, and because she was my first, I kinda grew an attachment to her. I was less experienced, so I didn't know any better. Anyway, I had this false sense of thinking that things were going to continue to be perfect. Boy, was I was wrong."

"What happened?"

"One day, when I had just got out of school, I decided to go over to Lauren's house. When I got to her door, I could hear her talking with some guy. The thing is that Lauren told me that she was sick that day and was gonna be home alone."

After Andre took a moment to gather his thoughts, he continued, "Being the concerned boyfriend, I decided to go over to her house to keep her company. So when I get there and I go in the house..."

A tear ran down Andre cheek; trying to console him, I placed my arms around him.

"Turns out, she had been sleeping with that guy, plus two others during our relationship." sighed Andre, wiping the tears from eyes, "Last time I talked to her, I asked her why'd she do it. _*small chuckle*_ And she said with a huge smile,_ 'Because I can'_."

It took me a while to take this all in.

Had I known that Andre been through all of that…

* * *

><p>"I'm so sorry. If I'd knew that the whole story, I wouldn't have questioned you about it."<p>

"No, it's good. Sooner or later, I would have had to tell you." insisted Andre, holding my hand, "But what really hurt me, was when she told me that she took pleasure in taking a guy's virginity. So all of that bullshit about it being a _special_ moment for us…"

"Listen, Andre. Lauren was a cruel, manipulative girl, and she had no idea what an amazing guy she had." I reassured, with tears in my eyes, "And I just want you to know that I would never _ever_ dream of treating you like that. I want you to know that, okay?"

"Don't cry, it hurts me when I have to see you cry." Andre stated, wiping the tears from my face.

Continuing his story, he uttered, "From that point on, I've been really cautious with my relationships and how far they went. That's why I've been hesitant about having sex with you. Not because you're a virgin, but because I want to take my time and not rush us into anything that could hurt us."

I completely understood what he was saying.

It just sucked that it took me this long to realize it.

* * *

><p>"Don't get me wrong, I really do want to make love with you. But it'll be worth the wait, don't you think?"<p>

"Yeah, it would. When that day comes, it'll be really special. Not just for me, but for you as well." I smiled.

"Hmm, well, I can't wait til that day finally arrives." Andre chuckled, as he kissed me.

* * *

><p>At that moment, the front door opened, and the two of us quickly pulled apart from each other.<p>

It was Trina, coming back from shopping, with a surprised expression.

"We weren't doing anything, honestly." insisted Andre, putting his shirt back on, "I should be getting home by now."

Before he left, Andre kissed me on the cheek, "Thanks for listening and understanding everything. I'll call you later tonight, okay?"

"Okay, I love you."

"Love you, too." he replied, walking past Trina and out of the front door, "Bye, Trina."

* * *

><p>"See ya, Andre." she responded, walking over to me, "Oooooh! Was someone having a little naughty time while no one was home?"<p>

"No… kinda, but not the kind of fun you were thinking." I answered, walking into the kitchen to grab a soda, "He stopped before things went too far."

"Aww, you can't turn him on enough?" joked Trina, placing her shopping bags on the table.

I felt that I should keep Andre's secret and decided not to tell Trina.

"No… he had to run off somewhere." I sighed, playing around with the soda can tab.

"Well, don't rush too quickly into sex. Be patient and wait for when the moment is right." divulged Trina, trying on her new pair of pink Converse sneakers, "Take it from me, little sis. Don't do anything until **_you _**feel that you're ready."

It was weird to hear such good advice from Trina. She never failed to surprise me.

"Thanks, Trina. I really needed to hear that."

I really did needed to hear what she said. I was practically trying to rush into sex earlier and to be honest... I'm not even sure if I'm ready or not.

I had **a lot** of thinking to do, but at the moment something caught my attention.

* * *

><p>"Oh, I love those shoes. Do you think I could borrow them sometimes?" I asked, sipping my soda.<p>

"Hell, no! Go buy your own!" she chided, taking her bags and going up to her room.

Same Ol' Trina.

* * *

><p><strong><em>8:42 P.M<em>**

After watching some fashion reality show for a good hour and a half, I noticed that Andre had left his phone.

Normally, I don't snoop on other people's phone, but… wait, I take all of that back.

I was a bit curious to see if there were any hot pics of himself that he took.

I mean, most guys do like to take pictures of themselves shirtless in front of a mirror, right?

Scrolling through his pictures, (He did have sexy shirtless pics of himself! I knew it!), an incoming text message had popped up.

* * *

><p>The number was unknown and the message read:<p>

_{On my way. You won't be able to avoid me anymore.}_

Who in the hell was this?

And why were they going to his house?

Clicking on the text, I then saw a long thread of texts that Andre had with this number.

* * *

><p>The first texts from two days ago read:<p>

_Unknown number: {Knock, Knock. Guess Who?}_

_Andre: {Who is this?}_

_{The one girl you'll never forget.}_

_{Seriously, who is this?}_

_{Don't tell me that you've already forgotten about me.}_

_{The one that made your first time... memorable.}_

_{How did you get this number, Lauren?}_

* * *

><p><strong>Lauren?! <strong>This was Lauren texting him?!

* * *

><p><em>{Friend of a friend, but that's not important.}<em>

_{What really matters is what I've heard about you.}_

_{What does it matter to you?}_

_{Shouldn't you be sleeping around with the guys on the football team?}_

_{lol Already did jk jk But seriously, I heard that you got yourself a new girl}_

_{Just leave me alone. Don't call, text, or come anywhere near me.}_

_{Okay, I see you a bit moody now.}_

_{I'll text ya later.}_

* * *

><p>The text from the next day read:<p>

_{Ohh I see you dating a latina girl}_

_{A really hot one from what I can tell.}_

_{One question: Does she makes your toes curl like I do?}_

_{Come on, be honest. She probably sucks at it.}_

_{Haha, sucks at it. I'm funny.}_

* * *

><p>The next set of messages were from 6 hours ago.<p>

_{Since you want to give me the cold shoulder, I guess __I'll come on over to your house later today.}_

_{We maybe could catch up for old time sake}_

_{And by that I mean some serious fun time without the girlfriend.}_

_{You know you'll like it ;) }_

* * *

><p>And the recent text:<p>

_{On my way. You won't be able to avoid me anymore.}_

* * *

><p>At that moment, another text message from Lauren popped up.<p>

Only this time it had a picture attached to it.

I was stunned to see that it was a picture of Lauren herself… naked.

To be honest, Lauren was actually quite pretty.

She had beautiful light brown skin and short, wavy black hair.

She was also… _well endowed_ in the chest area, and her hips were really curvy.

I almost got a little jealous about her body shape compared to mine.

But I had to shake it off.

It was just really sad to see such a pretty girl have such a disgusting personality.

* * *

><p>Along with the picture was the text that read:<p>

_{Be there soon, can't wait to catch up.}_

* * *

><p>Not if I have anything to do with it!<p>

Calling to Trina from downstairs, I shouted, "Trina, I need you to take me to Andre's house!"

"What for?!"

"It's an emergency!"

"What kind of emergency?!"

"A relationship emergency!"

"What kind of relationship emergency?!"

"Andre's ex is going over to his house to try to force him to have sex with her and I need to go over there and stop her from even getting the chance to talk to him or even see him." I yelled, breathless.

"Well, why didn't you tell me sooner?!" exclaimed Trina, running downstairs with shaving cream on her legs and car keys in her hand, "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>As we left the house, I began to hope that we would not turn up too late.<p>

Not that I didn't have faith in Andre to not have sex with Lauren.

But to keep her from messing with Andre anymore.

Lauren had made this a personal matter…

And I was going to stop her.

Not only for Andre's peace of mind.

But for myself as well.


	7. The Fury Of Victoria Vega

**Entry #007: The Fury Of Victoria Vega**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Saturday, May 31st<strong>__**  
><strong>_

_**9:10 P.M.**_

I hoped that we weren't too late.

I had to stop Lauren at all cost.

"Drive faster!" I yelled, as Trina drove a measly 35 mph, "I have to get there before Andre sees Lauren."

"Explain to me again, why are we taking my car?" Trina asked, as we swerved around a corner.

"Andre would recognize my car and I can't have him seeing me if I catch Lauren before he does." I explained, as we got closer to Andre's house.

I couldn't let this girl mess with Andre's anymore.

This sick game had to end once and for all.

I had to do everything I could to stop her.

Although, I really hoped that this Lauren chick wasn't a professional kickboxer or something.

Cause if you didn't already know, I'm not much of a fighter.

* * *

><p>Once we arrived at the block where Andre's house was, I told Trina to park the car across from the house.<p>

"We don't want to be too close to the house; cause I've got to catch Lauren by surprise."

"And exactly what are you going to ask her? 'Excuse me, but could you pretty please stop texting my boyfriend? I would gladly appreciate it." mocked Trina, poorly imitating my voice.

First Jade and now Trina… seriously, can no one imitate my voice perfectly?!

Geez! Ugh!

Sorry, it's just so damn annoying when someone does that.

But anyway, back to waiting for Lauren.

"I don't talk like that!" I yelled at Trina, as a mysterious green car pulled up in front of Andre's house.

"Shh! Look! You think that's Lauren?" asked Trina, as the car shut off.

"I don't know. It could be her."

As we stared at the car, waiting for the driver to step out, the doors opened.

Yeah, **doors**.

The girl stepping out on the front passenger side was fairly slender.

She was Hispanic, had short brown hair with red streaks, and from what I could tell… a nose piercing.

A bright yellow shirt and purple skinny jeans was what she wore.

Tacky.

"So… is it her?" asked Trina.

"No, it's not her." I sighed, as the girl on the driver's side moved to where I could see her.

To no surprise, it was indeed Lauren.

She looked as if she really went through the trouble of making herself look gorgeous.

She wore a really, pretty blue top with a short white skirt.

And that top was really, really pretty.

"Do you see what she's wearing?" I asked, practically leaning on Trina.

"Yeah, I wonder where she got that top from." Trina replied, as Lauren and her friend stood next to the car.

"Probably from that new store down by the market."

"I don't know. They don't carry anything nice there." Trina responded.

"But I bought this shirt from there." I uttered, looking down at my purple shirt.

"Proves my point." spoke Trina, as Lauren and her friend began walking towards Andre's front door.

"Let's go!" I said, as we got out of the car.

* * *

><p>My heart was thumping loudly. I was finally about to confront this girl.<p>

But what was I going to say?! What was I going to say?!

I had to come up with something pretty damn good…

"Hey! You! Stop right there!"

…Nailed it…

Lauren and her friend immediately turned around as Trina and I walked towards them.

I could tell that Lauren immediately recognized me.

After all, she did go through the trouble of snooping around to see who Andre was dating.

"Let me guess… Tori, right?" Lauren asked, smirking.

"You guessed correctly." I replied, trying to not look intimidated, "I take it that you're Andre's ex?"

"Yeah, I'm Lauren, the infamous ex that you've probably heard about." smiled Lauren, as she and her friend started laughing, "And this is my right-hand bitch, Lindsey."

It was confusing. She actually enjoyed being known as a scheming ex-girlfriend. I highly doubt that I would ever understand why some girls are like this.

"Okay… let me guess, you're here to try and stop me from talking to Andre. You're here to stop me from reminding him of all those fun and amazing times that we use to had, aren't you?" Lauren asked, as she walked up to me.

I'll admit, I was a bit frightened of Lauren when we were face to face.

But then I remembered that I couldn't let this girl get in between me and Andre.

I had to stand up to Lauren… and show her that I was no one to mess with.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm here to stop you." I replied, pushing Lauren away from me.

This cause Lindsey to immediately hold her back.

All I knew was that if Lauren was going to punch me, I was definitely going to punch her back.

"Calm down, Tori. We're not here to cause trouble." spoke Trina, as she held me back.

Coming to my senses, I realize that she was right; I was there to talk, not fight.

"Look, I have nothing to do with your previous relationship with Andre, but I won't have you causing trouble with the relationship that I have with him. So could you please just leave Andre alone?"

I laid it all out. Plain and simple.

It was only a matter of whether or not Lauren would accept it.

As Lindsey let her go, Lauren stood there for a bit and uttered, "Alright, I'll go. I'll leave you lovebirds alone."

Have to admit, I didn't see this coming.

"Wow… Thanks, I really appreciate it." I sighed, feeling relieved that Lauren was going to leave peacefully...

...or so I had thought.

As Lauren went to walk back to her car, she quickly turned around and swung at me.

_**THWACK!**_

The punch she threw had hit me directly on the cheek and let me tell you… it stung like a bitch!

Stumbling backwards and falling on the ground, I looked up to see Trina shoving Lauren.

"What the hell you did that for?!" Trina asked, as Lindsey walked up to her, "What are you crazy?!"

Speaking for the first time, Lindsey smirked, "We don't care what the two of you think. Just be glad that things didn't get any worse."

"Oh, like this?" asked Trina, swinging on Lindsey, knocking her down and jumping on top of her.

It was a good thing that Trina knew some martial arts... or whatever it was that she did in her spare time.

"Hey! Get off of her, you dumb bitch!" shouted Lauren, trying to pull Trina off of her friend.

But before she had to chance to do so, I got back up and tackled Lauren to the ground and began swinging on her.

There was just so much intensity.

So much anger bottled up inside of me.

This was the girl who was harassing my boyfriend.

The girl who cheated on him when they were together.

The girl who was trying to ruin our relationship.

She was going to learn that no one messes with Victoria Vega!

…

Wow… that sounded so much better in my head…

* * *

><p>I felt so infuriated that I barely noticed that several of the neighbors had came outside to see what was going on.<p>

But none of that mattered, my sole focus was on Lauren.

Who was cowering from the punches that I kept throwing at her.

It felt good to not be the sweet little nice girl for a change.

I felt empowered. In control of things.

Nothing was gonna stop me from beating the crap out of Lauren.

That was until I felt someone pull me off of her.

"Let me go! Let me go! I'm not done with her yet!" I yelled, as I struggled to break free from the person's grip around my waist.

Whoever this person was, their grip was pretty strong.

And from what I could tell, they were well built.

"I said, "Let me go!" She deserves th-" I shouted, as I turned to see that the person who was holding me was Andre.

"What in the world is going on?" he asked, as he let me go.

"Long story short, these crazy bitches ambushed me and Lindsey." lied Lauren, as her and Lindsey got up from the ground.

"Stop with the lying, you swung at Tori first." Trina responded, brushing the dirt from off of her shirt.

"It doesn't matter who started it, but I know who's gonna finish it!" exclaimed Lauren, as we brushed up against one another, only to be blocked by several of the neighbors and Andre.

"You two need to get up out of here before the cops show up." warned Andre, speaking to Lauren and Lindsey.

The two stood there for a while and straighten up their clothes and hair.

"It's good. It's good, but we'll be back for Round Two." Lauren smiled, as Lindsey and her got back in the car.

"And we'll be ready!" I yelled, as they sped off from the block.

"Come inside, I'll get you two an ice pack." spoke Andre, helping the two of us up the steps.

* * *

><p>I spent about a good twenty minutes explaining myself to Andre, while he tended to us in the kitchen.<p>

Telling him everything...

From looking through his phone.

Reading his messages.

Confronting Lauren to stop her from talking to him.

And to my surprise, he took the explanation quite well.

"…and that's what led to the brawl out in the streets." I explained, as Andre rubbed an alcohol patch on the cut that was on my cheek, "I was really trying to keep you out of this, but things got out of hand- Ouch!"

"Sorry bout that… Tori, I have to be honest. No girl has ever stood up for me the way that you did and that's really saying something."

"Oh, really?" I asked, holding the ice pack on my head.

"Yeah. Plus, it was cute to see you holding your own in a fight."

"Aww!" I smiled, trying to stop myself from blushing.

He then leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

"I hope that'll help it heal faster."

"It's already starting to feel much better." I replied, as Trina got up.

"Come on, Tori. We should be getting back home."

"Really wish I could stay longer." I said, as I hugged and kissed Andre, "Text me later?"

"You know it."

"Good."

"Will you hurry up?! My beauty rest has to start at 10 o'clock sharp!" yelled Trina, as she dragged me out of the house.

"See ya!" I shouted, as we got in the car and drove off.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sunday, June 1st<strong>__**  
><strong>_

_**1:32 P.M.**_

I was sore. Oh, so sore.

And I found it very difficult to get any sleep.

Tossing and turning. Turning and tossing. I just could not relax!

It was beginning to feel like I would never get any rest.

**_*A musical chime plays on my phone*_**

It was a chat message from Andre.

I began to smile as I read it.

_{Been thinking about you and what you've done for me.}_

_{Really glad that I have someone like you in my life.}_

_{Glad to see that I have your back and you've got mine.}_

_{So nighty night, Tori. My lovely girlfriend. My best friend. My watchful protector.}_

I sighed contently, as I held the phone close to my heart.

"He's been watching _The Dark Knight _again." I chuckled, turning over and slowly drifting to sleep.

I guess I really was a watchful protector.

After all, with a sweet boyfriend like Andre, I wanted to do whatever I could to make sure that our relationship was strong.

And looking out for each other was one of the best ways of doing so.

As I slept deeply, I began thinking of all the wonderful things yet to come for us.

So yeah, this summer was going to be awesome!


	8. Awesome Day At The Fair

**Entry #008: Awesome Day At The Fair**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Monday, July 7<strong>__**th**_

_**10:15 A.M.**_

_Sighs_

So I'm guessing most of you were wondering exactly when I was going to update a new entry… well…

For the past month, I was grounded.

My mom caught me and Andre in my room… making out… with our shirts off.

I could have sworn that I thought she was gonna be gone for much longer than 30 minutes!

Thank goodness, she didn't tell dad about any of this. She said something about not wanting to raise up his blood pressure or something.

That and he would have killed Andre...

…okay, maybe he wouldn't have killed Andre; but seeing as he's a cop, who knows what he could have done.

But anyway, for the past month, I wasn't able to have any contact with Andre or my friends

And it was pure torture having to sit around the house and listen to Trina screech singing, my dad's loud cop buddies during poker night, and to make matters worse, my mom giving me a different version of "The Talk" every single week.

And as an added bonus, she included high quality photos, puppets, and a two hour documentary called _Waiting Is Fun For Everyone! _

Ugh, I can't get those puppets out of my head!

Its was so disturbing!

* * *

><p>Sorry that I'm rambling on and on... it was just pure hell that I've been through, but it's finally over!<p>

I was finally let out of this prison yesterday; so to celebrate my release, Andre decided to take me out for a day of fun at the fair.

Which I really looked forward to.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sunday, July 6<strong>__**th**_

_**3:23 P.M.**_

I sat patiently in the den.

My mom's eyes were fixed on me like a hawk.

Her overprotective mode went into overdrive ever since that day we got caught.

It's like she was a freakin' prison warden or something.

"Don't you have something else to do?" I questioned her.

"Nope." she replied sternly.

"Okay." I said meekly, while avoiding her gaze.

_I sure wish Andre would hurry and pick me up._

_**DING! DONG!**_

_Thank God!_

I rushed over to the door and nearly ripped it off its hinges.

"Andre!" I squealed, nearly knocking him off of his feet as I hugged him, "Boy, did I miss you!"

"Same here." he smiled, before he kissed me.

_Boy, did I miss those lips of his…_

"Ahem!"

We quickly moved away from each other as my mom walked over to us.

"Hey, Mrs. Vega… how have you been doing?" Andre asked, holding his hand out to her.

Not losing eye contact while shaking his hand, my mom said, "Good, good. Just make sure you don't force my daughter to do anything she's not ready for."

"Mom!" I exclaimed, feeling so embarrassed.

"No, it's okay, Tori." said Andre, walking over to my mom, "Mrs. Vega, I can promise you this. I will never force Tori to do anything and I mean **anything **she's not ready for."

"Good. Let's keep that way." my mom replied, trying to read him.

This was going on for far too long.

"Okay! Let's get going to the fair!" I shouted, as I dragged Andre to his car, "See ya, mom!"

"Remember to have her back home by ten o'clock!" my mom yelled, as we got in the car.

* * *

><p>As Andre turned on his car and drove off, I yelled out, "Ah! It feels so good to be out of that house! I feel so free!"<p>

I'll admit it, I even wind down the window just to hang my head out to feel the wind in my hair.

Ah! It was so liberating.

* * *

><p><strong><em>3:48 P.M.<em>**

Once we reached the fair's parking lot, we decided to spend a little over 10 minutes just making out in the car.

You know, to catch up some from the past month.

"God, I miss having you in my arms." sighed Andre, as I sat on his lap, "I was about to go crazy not being able to talk to you."

"Yeah, well, just be thankful that you didn't have to listen to your sister singing off-key or having your mom use a banana and a onion ring to demonstrate-"

"Okay, I get it." Andre interrupted, trying to shake off the image, "But that's all in the past. You're here, I'm here, and we have a whole day just to ourselves. That's all that matters."

"Aww, I like when you say things like that." I smiled, leaning in to give him another kiss.

_**HOOONNNKKKK!**_

The loud car horn startled us.

"My butt honked the horn." I giggled, looking back at the steering wheel.

"Who knew such a cute little butt could do that?" Andre laughed.

"You think my butt is cute?" I asked, twirling my fingers through his dreads.

"Mmhmm." he muttered, unable to look away from my flirty gaze.

We kissed one last time and then realized that some people were staring at us.

"We did come to this fair for a reason," I laughed, getting off of his lap, "and I do want some cotton candy."

"Don't care much for cotton candy." stated Andre, as we got out of his car, "I'm more of a fan of elephant ears."

"I can honestly say that I've never had an elephant ear before." I wondered, holding his hand while we walked to the entrance, "Are they any good?"

"'Any good'?" he repeated, while paying for our tickets, "Tori, trust me when I say that it's **freakin'** amazing.

* * *

><p>The rest of our day was absolutely FANTASTIC!<p>

Fair games! Roller coasters! Bumper cars! Merry-go-round! Cotton candy! Candy apples! Hot dogs! Corn dogs! Popcorn! Petting zoo! Tunnel of Love!

It was all so amazing!

Andre even won me a stuffed purple puppy.

It was so cute.

I even got to eat an elephant ear for the first time and let me tell you…

Andre was not lying. It was so delicious!

Why did it take me so long to finally eat such a delicious treat?

* * *

><p><strong><em>9:27 P.M.<em>**

After we spent a little over five hours having nonstop fun, I wanted to go for a ride on the Ferris wheel.

"Do we have enough tickets for both of us?" I asked, as Andre searched his pockets.

He pulled out one ticket and said, "Guess this is the only one."

"Maybe we can buy some more."

"The ticket booths are closed and the fair is about to close." Andre replied, looking at the time on his phone, "Plus I have to get you home soon, so it's best if you just use this ticket and go on the ride."

"But I wanted the two of us to go on there."

"I wanted to go on there, too. But we only have one ticket, so you should go." he insisted, handing me the ticket, "Besides, I have to use the restroom. I shouldn't have drank that _Bladder Buster Lemonade_, but it was too damn good!"

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. Now hurry up, before more people get in line."

* * *

><p>After Andre left to go to the restroom, I got in line and waited for when it was my turn to get on the ride.<p>

When I finally got in my seat, a very good looking guy got into the seat next to me.

"Hey." smiled the guy, as the ride operator lowered the safety bar.

"Hey." I responded, while the ride slowly started.

The more I looked at this guy, the more I felt like I recognize him from somewhere.

The only way I could find out was to ask him.

"Have I seen you from somewhere before?"

"Yeah, we use to be in the same Algebra class. I sat in the back row."

"You go to Hollywood Arts?"

"Yeah… you really don't know me, do you?" asked the guy, with a grin.

"I've seen you in class, but I just can't think of your name."

"Well, I'll make it easy for you." replied the guy, holding out his hand, "The name's Ryder. Ryder Daniels."

As I shook his hand, I was stunned.

It was _**the **_Ryder Daniels.

_**THE **_Ryder Daniels!

He was one of the most popular guys at Hollywood Arts.

The girls wanted to be with him, while the guys wanted to be him.

I've heard about Ryder from several girls when I first arrived at Hollywood Arts.

I just never knew that that gorgeous guy who sat in the back of my boring Algebra class was _**the **_Ryder Daniels!

"Tori. My name's Tori. Tori Vega." I stammered, still stunned.

"I know who you are. I've seen you around lately." Ryder said, as we reached the top of the Ferris wheel.

"Didn't know you paid that much attention to me."

"Yeah, you have a lovely singing voice and you are insanely cute." smiled Ryder, "So it's kind of hard to miss you.

I couldn't help but blush. _**The **_Ryder Daniels had just said that I was insanely cute!

Out of all the girls at H.A., and he says this to _me_.

But I know what you're thinking, 'Tori, you do remember that you have a boyfriend, don't you?'

And I did know, I did know! I just wasn't too sure if Ryder was just complimenting me or if he was really about to ask me out.

"Thanks." I uttered, as the wheel began to descend.

It was silent for awhile after that.

I honestly didn't know what else to say to him.

Or if there was anything **to **say.

"Look, I know this is sudden… But would you like to go out with me sometime?" he asked, looking at me.

…I guess he wasn't just complimenting me…

"Ryder, you do know that I have a boyfriend?" I asked, clutching my plush puppy, "One that I've been faithfully with for the past three months."

Ryder looked surprised when I said this. I just took it as him not knowing that I had a boyfriend.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't know." he muttered, looking slightly disappointed, "He's a very lucky guy."

"Yeah… he is." I spoke, as the Ferris wheel came to a stop.

"Guess the ride is over." Ryder said, while the ride operator lifted the safety bar.

_Thank God! This could have gotten more awkward._

* * *

><p>When I finally got off of the ride, Ryder approached me and uttered, "I guess I'll be seeing you… only this time you'll know who I am."<p>

As he left, I felt a strange feeling come over me.

I couldn't really explain it at the time, only that it appeared whenever Ryder was near me.

* * *

><p>"Tori, are you alright?"<p>

I suddenly realized that Andre was standing in front of me.

He looked pretty worried.

"Are you alright?" he repeated.

"Yeah, I'm good." I said, as we left the fairgrounds.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." I replied, coming to my senses, "Just ran into a guy I knew from Algebra class."

"Who?" Andre asked, as we got into his car.

"Ryder Daniels."

_**HONK! **_

"What was that for?!" I asked, wondering why Andre had hit the steering wheel.

From what I could tell, Andre looked pretty pissed for some reason.

"Andre… tell me what's wrong."

"Tori… can you promise me something?" Andre sighed heavily.

"Sure." I replied, worried.

"Can you please stay away from Ryder Daniels?"

"Why?"

"Just stay away from him, please?" he insisted, turning on the car.

I thought that somehow, he was jealous of Ryder.

I found it kinda cute.

"Are you jealous of me talking to Ryder? Cause if you are, don't worry I'm not-"

"I'm not jealous! Just… please… stay away from him and let's not talk about this anymore." he sighed, as we drove off.

* * *

><p>This worried me. I wanted to get further to the bottom of this, but I could tell that Andre was really upset about something.<p>

That and I didn't want to end off this perfect night with an argument.

"Okay, I'll stop talking about this." I muttered, as we stopped at a red light.

For the rest of the car ride, it was quiet.

We didn't say anything to each other until Andre dropped me off at the house.

* * *

><p><em><strong>9:51 P.M.<strong>_

"Tori, wait." he said, as I got out of his car.

As we walked to the front door, I could tell that Andre was finally ready to tell me what was wrong.

"I'm sorry for how I've been acting. It's just that… Ryder Daniels is a straight up player. He has too much fun with playing around with girls until he gets what he wants."

"So you were just concerned about him trying to mess with me?" I asked, starting to understand.

"Yeah… in fact, Ryder and I used to be friends." Andre said, with a look a regret.

"What?!"

"It was years ago. I witnessed first hand how Ryder would toy with girls." he explained, sitting on the bench by the door, "He even said it himself, 'I love 'em, then I leave 'em'. After that, I stopped hanging with the guy."

I would have never guessed that _**the **_Ryder Daniels was like that.

I would always hear nothing but good things about him.

"How come I never heard any of this from other girls?"

"That's just it. A lot of the girls that he has been with are probably too embarrassed to even say anything. That or some girls wouldn't even care about what he did. As long as they got to spend time with _**the **_Ryder Daniels, it was fine with them."

I had to admit it. He was telling the truth about that. There were some girls like that.

"Wow… If I knew any of this, I wouldn't have talked to him while on the Ferris wheel." I uttered, sitting next to him, "I'm sorry for thinking that you were jealous."

"It's okay, I just don't want you to get caught up in one of his games."

I leaned in to kiss him and gave him a hug, "You're the best, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know." he chuckled, as the front door opened.

"Ahem!"

"Okay, mom. I'm going inside." I said, getting up to go in the house, "Love you."

"Love you, too." Andre smiled, walking back to his car, "Night, Mrs. Vega."

"Night, Andre." she responded, not taking her eyes off of me as I went to my room.

* * *

><p><em><strong>11:47 P.M. <strong>_

Later that night, as I got ready to get some sleep, I couldn't help but think about the things that Ryder did.

_I have to be really careful of Ryder. It's a good thing that I won't have to see him anymore. But I doubt that he would even try to bother with me after I tell him to just leave me alone… yeah, I'll just tell him to leave me alone and that'll be the end of it._

_Nothing to worry about._


	9. Chinese Thursday

**Entry #009: Chinese Thursday**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Friday, July 18<strong>__**th**_

_**2:17 A.M. **_

I'm so exhausted!

In case you didn't know, during the time of my punishment, my mom made me look for a job to occupy my time.

About a week ago, I finally found one at a store about a quarter mile away from H.A.

It was a music/clothing store called _October's Daze_.

Kinda reminded me of Hot Topic a little; except it wasn't always cluttered with your stereotypical goth, emo, punk, nerd, gamer, or preppy conformist.

The pay was decent and the hours weren't bad either.

But that wasn't what made my first day on the job, a **_really_** unforgettable one.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thursday, July 17<strong>__**th**_

_**2:55 P.M.**_

I've been here since eight in the morning and it has been a somewhat busy day.

I guess in this age of MP3s and online shopping, not many people go to stores like these anymore.

At that moment, a guy strolled into the store and was scanning through the Hip Hop aisle of the music section of the store.

He was a fairly tall, light skinned guy with a clean cut beard. He looked to be about my age. Somewhere around 17 or 19.

The guy was wearing a _Panthers_ jersey with some khakis. From the looks of it, it looked like one of those custom jerseys. Glancing at the back of it, I could see the word _SuperCam _where the name should go.

* * *

><p>Which reminded me of Andre's birthday. October was just around the corner; so I thought maybe he would like a <em>Carolina Panthers<em> jersey.

I faintly remember him saying that he liked the team so...

Sorry... my thoughts were drifting for a moment.

* * *

><p>Me being the good little employee that I am, I went over to him to see if he needed any assistance.<p>

"Hi! Need help finding anything?"

"Uh, yeah. Do you guys have the new Kendrick Lamar album?" the guy asked, turning around to look at me.

Walking over to where we kept the new releases, I found the album that he was looking for and proceeded to ring it up for him.

"That'll be $15.58." I said, reading the display on the register.

As the guy reached into his wallet to get the right amount of cash, he asked, "Do you also happen to know when that new Jay-Z album is coming out? Been waiting a long time for that one."

I had to look at a list of upcoming albums to see when certain ones were going to arrive.

"About a month and a half from now." I answered, but I couldn't stop right there.

I just couldn't.

A part of me thrived to come out.

It was a part of me that my friends told me a thousand and one times, not let out.

…

I started talking **urban**.

"But if ya really lookin' fo some good tracks to listen to, ya need to check out A$AP Rocky or some of that Yeezy. I be goin' off the hizzle fo shizzle whenever dey be playin' that on da radio! But any of that good good is fine wit me, just as long as it ain't no Drizzy Drake. He's aight on some songs, but other time he makes me wanna drive off a bridge. Ya feel me, home skillet biscuit?!"

* * *

><p>The guy just stood there.<p>

Frozen with shock.

Fighting back the urge to laugh.

Ugh! Why did I love attempting to speak urban lingo?!

It never ends well!

* * *

><p>Finally the guy handed me the money, he was still trying to hold back his laughter.<p>

*sighs* It was embarrassing...

After I gave him his change and the bag with the CD, the guy chuckled and replied, "You're cute... but please don't talk like that again."

With that said, the guy left out the store laughing.

Fully satisfied to have his CD and his laugh for the day.

Errrgh! When will I learn?!

The only relief that I had was the fact that I knew that no one else saw me.

Or so I thought...

As I banged my head against the counter, the sound of someone laughing erupted in the backroom.

Startled, I quickly turned around to see someone that I was definitely not expecting.

* * *

><p>His sleek black hair shined from the overhead lights.<p>

A wide grin was sketched across his handsome face.

His chiseled muscles could be seen through his tight shirt.

Why was he here?!

"Ryder?! What are you doing here?!" I asked, the handsome boy walking towards me.

"What am I doing here? I could ask you the same question." he replied, leaning against the counter.

"I work here."

"So do I."

* * *

><p>I literally wanted to scream. Just out of the blue, put my talented vocal cords to the test and just scream like I was in a horror flick.<p>

Hell, this felt close to horror.

I mean seriously, what are the chances that the job that I recently started working at, happens to be where _**the **_Ryder Daniels is employed?!

Can someone please take the time out of their busy schedule to explain to me how this could have happened?!

* * *

><p>"That's not true. Mr. Gates never made any mention that you work here." I said, trying to keep some distant from him, "And I don't see your name anywhere on the schedule."<p>

"That's because I've recently just got off from vacation. He didn't get the chance to put my name on the new schedule." Ryder answered, giving me a curious look, "Why are you being so jittery?"

"I'm not jittery... I'm just surprised." I muttered, trying to calm down, "Look, we may... work together. But please, keep away from me."

* * *

><p>Walking into the backroom, I could tell that Ryder was following me.<p>

The backroom of the store was a very cluttered place to be in.

Filled with boxes upon boxes of store merchandise, it was a miracle that I never got lost back here.

"Hey. What's the matter with you?" asked Ryder, moving quickly to get in front of me, "I couldn't have done anything to offend you. I just got here."

I decided to just tell Ryder that I knew all about his _way _with girls.

There was no point in trying to ignore it.

"I know all about your _'Love 'em, then leave 'em'_ way with girls." I said, firmly standing in front of him, "You're a player and I seriously don't want anything to do with you."

His expression gave off the impression that he had heard this a thousand times before.

"Let me guess, you heard some gossip from some girls and now you're quick to judge me. Typical."

"Nope. You couldn't be anymore wrong." I said, crossing my arms, "My boyfriend told me."

Ryder scoffed at this and said, "And who is this guy that knows so much about me?"

"Andre Harris." I replied, smiling, "Sound familiar?"

Ryder looked as if he had just seen a ghost. I guess what Andre said about him was true.

"Andre... is your boyfriend?" he asked, looking confused.

I nodded.

"Look... there's somethings that you need to know about-"

* * *

><p>Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of someone talking could heard coming from the storefront.<p>

"Ooo! The Wagglefuffles' new album is out!"

"So?"

"So... do you think you can buy it for me?"

"What?!"

"_Please?_"

"No, what happened to your money?"

"Well, my brother kinda had this problem with these nuns and-"

"Okay, okay! I'll buy it for you. Just shut up about your brother."

"Yay!"

* * *

><p>Leaving Ryder to start taking up inventory in the backroom, I whispered, "Just keep away from me and do your job."<p>

"Fine with me... Tori."

* * *

><p>Walking into the main room, I noticed Cat looking excited over Jade agreeing to buy her the CD.<p>

I almost questioned exactly why the two girls were here, but then I remembered what day it was.

"Hi, Tori!" beamed the ditsy redhead, as she rushed over to give me a hug, "How was your first day of work?"

"It was going great... until I met a _fellow_ employee." I responded, while Jade approached me with a couple of graphic tees, a dark green studded belt, the Wagglefuffles' CD, and a pair of combat boots with some sketches of God knows what scattered across it.

"Ring me up, Vega." she said, taking out her credit card.

"Sure thing." I muttered, unenthusiastically, "Where did you get the card?"

"Let's just say that finding out that Daddy Dearest has some _secrets_ can be very... rewarding." the mean Goth said, smiling mischievously, "Now ring me up!"

"Calm down! Sheesh! I'm new here, remember?" I said, scanning the items, "I'm still trying to get used to using this thing."

"With you working here, I might start coming here more often." Jade laughed, "You know, to torture you with even more excess labor."

I should have known that Jade would get a real kick out of me working at a retail store.

All the more reasons for her to treat me like some sort of servant.

* * *

><p>"Cat! Stop playing around with the mannequins!" shouted Jade, as Cat stopped dancing around with one of the male figures, "They're not real and they never were real."<p>

"I don't believe that!" Cat yelled, holding onto the dummy's arm, "Plus... he's kinda cute."

Jade and I just found ourselves staring at the redhead.

Leave it to Cat to turn things from normal to bizarre in less than five seconds.

After that awkwardly weird moment, Jade paid for her items and Cat and her got ready to leave.

* * *

><p>"Are you still coming over to Andre's later?" asked Cat, giddily holding onto her new CD.<p>

"Of course. I wouldn't miss out on Chinese Thursday for nothing." I smiled, walking along with them towards the entrance, "Although, I might be a little late. I get off around eight o'clock, so be sure to at least save me an egg roll or two."

* * *

><p>Chinese Thursday was a new tradition of ours. We started it just last Thursday over at my house and decided to make it a regular part of the week.<p>

Today, it was being held over at Andre's.

Like the name says it, Chinese Thursday is where we all get together on a Thursday night, order tons of Chinese food and watch nothing but comedy flicks for the whole night.

Sure, it doesn't sound too exciting, but it was another way for us to have fun and spend some time together as friends.

You don't always have to go out to a club or down to the beach to have a great time. Sometimes all it takes is the company of your closest friends, a couple of DVDs, and some delicious Lo Mein.

And an egg roll! Can't forget about the egg roll!

* * *

><p>"Kay kay! See ya then!" smiled Cat, as the two left the store, "Jade, can I listen to this in the car?"<p>

"HELL NO!"

"_Please?!_"

"I said, NO!"

"Phooey!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>8:38 P.M. <strong>_

"Ugh! Work stupid car! Work!" I yelled, as the car engine continued to stall, "New cars aren't supposed to be like this."

For the past five minutes, my _Optima _had decided that quitting time was the perfect moment to act up.

I've only had this black car for about six months, and it never gave me any problems... until now.

"Come on! Come on, come on!" I hissed, frustrated as I once again tried to turn on my car, "Please crank up. I'm irritable... and hungry."

The stubborn car refused to turn on, forcing me to bang my head against the steering wheel.

"Aww! Fuck me!" I shouted, as the horn honked loudly.

I wasn't one for dropping F-bombs, but the car was seriously pissing me off.

Finally giving up on the car, I decided to just call my boyfriend to see if he could pick me up.

Scrolling through the contacts on my PearPhone, I came across Andre's name and pressed _Call_.

Waiting patiently for the dial tone, I groaned when I realized that my phone didn't have service in this area.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I cried, as I wanted to bang my head against the steering wheel again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Knock Knock!<strong>_

Scared nearly out of my skin, I looked to see who was at my passenger side window.

"What does he want?" I muttered to myself, as Ryder stood by the door.

Making sure that the taser my dad gave me was hidden on me, I got out of the car to see what he wanted.

* * *

><p>...What?!... I was in a semi dark parking lot, there was not that many people around, and there was a guy who was capable of taking advantage of me, standing near my car.<p>

I had to take ever precaution and be prepared.

Like you wouldn't have done the same thing.

Don't lie.

* * *

><p>"What do you want, Ryder?" I said, keeping a safe distance from him.<p>

"I saw that you was having car troubles and decided to see if I could help."

"You know a thing or two about cars?" I asked, still wary of his presence.

"My older brother was a mechanic. He practically taught me everything I know." he responded, leaning against my car, "So how about you pop up the hood and let me take a look at it?"

There was something about what he'd said that just sounded so inappropriate, but I shrugged it off.

I thought for a moment about letting him check to see what was wrong.

But I still felt uneasy around him.

Then again, if he really did know how to fix cars, then maybe he would be able to find out what the problem was with my car.

* * *

><p>Realizing that I might as well let him see what the problem was, I went back into my car and popped the hood.<p>

Turns out Ryder really did know a ton about cars.

He was saying a bunch of automotive terms that I obviously didn't know, and trust me. I knew zip about cars.

"So what seems to be the problem?" I asked, as he closed the hood.

Wiping his oil covered hands on his jeans, Ryder replied, "It's your starter."

The confused look on my face must have indicated he needed to further explain.

"The starter. It's the electrical device that causes the engine to fire up." he clarified, "Without it the car won't _start_."

His hint of sarcasm didn't do much to ease the distrust I had in him, "Don't be smart with me! Can you fix it or not?"

"Nope, can't fix it. You have to buy a new starter." Ryder said, shaking his head.

Great! Now I know what I'll be spending my first paycheck buying.

* * *

><p>Remembering that Ryder had a phone, I asked, "Do you mind if I use your phone? I need to call Andre to come pick me up."<p>

"You haven't heard?" he asked, giving me a look as if I should know something.

"Heard what?"

"Hmm, maybe if you wasn't in such a rush to leave earlier, you would have seen the cops that came into the store."

"What does the police have to do with anything?"

"They came by to ask if we heard anything about the Cell Tower Bandit."

"Cell Tower Bandit. Cell Tower Bandit." I repeated, trying to remember that name, "Oh! Now I remember."

The Cell Tower Bandit was this idiot who ran throughout parts of LA and stole cell towers.

He was responsible for the lack of cell reception during that time me and my friends were stuck in that giant cupcake.

That was definitely a night that I wanted to forget.

* * *

><p>"So until they can find the tower that he stole... no signal." spoke Ryder, showing me his phone, "How about I give you a ride to his house, instead?"<p>

God, I was afraid he was gonna ask that.

"Umm... I'm not too sure of that." I said, trying to hide my nervousness, "Maybe I could get a taxi or-"

"Sure, you go do that. Wait around in the dark for a taxi that you'll have to pay for... or you could get a ride from me, free of charge and without the wait." uttered Ryder, as he walked to his car.

I gave him a look of uncertainty. I just wasn't so sure about taking a ride from _**the **_Ryder Daniels.

Unlocking his car and opening up the driver's side door, he said, "Look, I'm not gonna try anything funny with you. I'm just giving you a ride to Andre's and that's it."

* * *

><p>I had no choice.<p>

I didn't feel like waiting for a taxi to arrive.

I was hungry beyond reason.

I didn't even have much money to pay for the thirty minute ride to Andre's.

...

Guess I found my ride.

* * *

><p>"Please don't make me regret this." I said, locking up my car and walking over to Ryder's green <em>Mustang<em>.

"Just calm down. You'll be at his house in no time."

I'll admit, Ryder did have a pretty sweet car. Although, during the first couple of minutes of the ride, I barely even wanted to mention this to him.

It was pretty much quiet, to be honest. Well, the radio was playing some soft Rock music, but there was no talking among us.

And that was how I liked it.

He was focused on just driving.

And I was keeping quiet while my arm was hanging out of the window.

Sadly, the quietness didn't last the whole ride.

About a mile away from Andre's, Ryder had to stop at a gas station to fill up his car.

Ugh! He couldn't have filled it up before he came to work?!

* * *

><p>"Please hurry back." I said, as he left the car; desperately wishing that this ride was over.<p>

Laying my head back and closing my eyes, I thought of finally making it to my boyfriend's house and finally sinking my teeth into some delicious Chinese food.

*Sighs* If only Ryder would hurry up and get this horse back on the road!

* * *

><p>"Tori. Tori. Tori Vega. Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes."<p>

Opening my eyes, I glance around for whoever it was that was calling me and was disappointed by what I saw.

"Lauren?! What the-?! What are you doing here?!" I asked, shocked by the girl's presence.

The pretty girl with a nasty attitude was wearing a dazzling green dress and was hanging out with what I assumed were her friends.

I guess they were heading to one of those clubs or a party and was stopping to get some gas or something.

Walking towards me, I could easily smell the alcohol drift from her.

"Just got back from one hell of a party and we're just about to crash another one!" she laughed, as the rest of her friends giggled, "What have you been up to lately? Too busy being a prude?"

"None of your business." I said, trying to ignore her and her friend's cackling, "Don't you have a party to go to?"

"Yeah, I do. It's going to be one _long _night. You know how that is..." she replied, tapping me on the arm, "...oh, wait! No, you don't!"

* * *

><p>It was like she knew exactly the right words that would get to me!<p>

I'll ask this again: Can someone _**please** _tell me the chances of any of the craziness actually happening?!

* * *

><p>It was at that moment that I noticed Ryder starting to pump gas in the car.<p>

Guess I was so focused on Lauren, that I didn't even noticed when Ryder got back.

"Leave her alone, Lauren. She didn't do anything to you." he said, as the mean girl stood up to glance at the handsome boy.

"Ryder! Haven't seen you in a while." Lauren chimed, in an almost normal tone from her usual snarkiness, "What are you doing hanging out with this glorified virgin?"

"She needed a ride from work and I was kind enough to give her one." Ryder explained, while placing the gas nozzle back in its holder and closing up his car's fuel cap, "You two know each other?"

"We have a connection through Andre. Although if you ask him, he'll tell you that _our _time together was more... erotic."

Everything just had to pertain to sex with this girl. Ugh! We get it! You're a very promiscuous girl!

"To be honest, I never took you for the chivalrous type." muttered Lauren, as Ryder got into the car, "Especially to someone like her."

"Well maybe if you stop being bitchy, some guy will one day see you as more than just a one night stand."

The look on Lauren's face spoke more than she did.

What Ryder said had actually got to her.

She was desperately trying to fight the urge to cry.

It was quite a sight to see.

Unfortunately, Lauren found a way to quickly rebound from that harsh blow.

* * *

><p>"Well, maybe that how I like it." she insisted, avoiding eye contact with Ryder, "Before I go, I must tell you something, Tori."<p>

Leaning close to me, Lauren began whispering into my ear.

Her tone was strangely serious this time.

"Don't let Ryder fuck you up. It's not worth it."

Was that a warning or was it just Lauren being Lauren?

I didn't know how to react to this.

And what she said after that further confuse and... disgust me.

"Also... if you finally do have sex with Andre, which I seriously doubt; there's a little trick that would _**really **_turn him on..."

I'm not gonna repeat what she said, but let me tell you, it was really, _really_ graphic.

It left a very bad taste in my mouth.

There was **NO **way that Andre would be turned on by something that disgusting... then again, I didn't really know him on _**that **_level.

Lauren, on the other hand, has had sex with him numerous of times during the time they were together; so she would know... I guess.

To be completely honest, I really didn't know. I was just eager to get away from her.

* * *

><p>"Can we please leave?" I asked Ryder, as I looked at the time on my phone, "It's 9:29, I'm already an hour and a half late."<p>

Turning on his car, Ryder said, "Don't worry, we have about ten minutes till we get there."

As we drove out of the lot, I could faintly make out what looked to be Lauren smiling at me and simulating giving a blowjob.

"See ya later, ya prude! And don't worry, I still haven't forgotten about our rematch!"

* * *

><p>*sighs* She just didn't know when to quit.<p>

"You know, she wasn't always like that."

Ryder's voice broke the silence that filled the car.

I almost wished that silence would return.

"What do you mean?" I sighed, wishing that time would speed up.

"Lauren used to be... different. She was friendly. Kind of shy and a bit of a nerd." responded Ryder, making a left turn at the green street light, "Moments like what just happened, makes me wish that she was still like that."

So Lauren used to be a "nice girl", so what? It still didn't make up for how she was now.

A total bitch.

* * *

><p>"How do you know her so well?" I asked, somewhat curious about this.<p>

Ryder sighed and didn't answer me for a couple of seconds.

Whatever he was about to tell me, he wasn't proud of it.

"Uh... I don't know if Andre told you, but... he used to date Lauren."

"I already know. He dated her and then he broke up with her as soon as he caught her cheating on him." I said, with obviousness.

"Well, apparently he didn't tell you everything." Ryder said, slowing down to let an ambulance cross the intersection, "You see... I was one of the guys that she cheated with."

WHAT?!

**WHAT?!**

Ryder was one of the guys who slept with Lauren?!

If this was true... then it would explain why Andre had such a deep hatred for Ryder.

I decided not to question him. I didn't know what to say, really.

I mean, what could I say?

* * *

><p>"Back then, I didn't really care if I had hurt my best friend." said Ryder, as we made the turn that led to Andre's house, "Lauren, at the time, was changing. She was <em>really <em>tempting and... I took advantage of the situation. Without even a moment of hesitation."

There was just something about Ryder's tone that gave me the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he regretted all that he'd done.

"I lost my best friend because of my selfishness, and I gained a black eye in return." he said, with a slight laugh, "Andre definitely has one hell of a right hook."

The thought of Andre punching Ryder made me chuckle, but it was quickly wiped away by another thought.

Not only did Andre lose his girlfriend of that time, but he also lost one of his best friends.

It was a really sad thought.

* * *

><p>When we finally arrived to Andre's house, I quickly got out of the car, turning around only to say, "Thanks for the ride, see ya!"<p>

Ugh! I couldn't sit in that car for another second and listen to Ryder.

It was making me depressed.

"Fine. See ya, then." uttered Ryder, as he sped off down the road.

* * *

><p><strong><em>9:47 P.M. <em>**

Running up Andre's walkway and eagerly ringing the doorbell, I could hear some voices on the other side of the door.

"Do you think that's her?"

"I don't see her car outside."

"I hope it is her. She should have been here sooner."

As the front door was practically ripped opened, I was greeted by a pair of well-built arms that wrapped around me.

"Thank God! I was worried sick!" Andre stammered, as I returned his hug, "I knew you was gonna be late, but I didn't know it would be over an hour."

Can't tell you how much I longed to be wrapped in those arms.

"I had a bit of car trouble and had to get a ride from one of my coworkers." I assured him, keeping away from mentioning Ryder's name.

* * *

><p>I didn't want him to become frantic and cause a scene in front of the others.<p>

Plus, there was nothing to tell... okay, there was truckload to tell, but now wasn't the right time.

"Why didn't you call me? I could have swung by to pick you up." Andre said, closing the door behind me, "I called you earlier, but it kept going to voice mail."

* * *

><p>I hated seeing him worry over me. Even though it did show that he really cared about me, I didn't want him to stress out.<p>

You see... (Andre doesn't like it when anyone mentions this, but I know you guys won't say anything)... he sometimes suffered from depression, which he fought against with music.

One of the reasons why he hates talking about it is because he fears that this could somehow lead him to be just like his grandma; which was crazy... okay, I shouldn't have used that word, but you get what I meant.

I reassured him numerous of times that his depression wouldn't turn into whatever his grandma had, but I can still tell that he's still afraid of it at times.

Now you see why I'm really iffy about the details dealing with Ryder and Lauren.

* * *

><p>"We were all getting ready to head out and check up on you." said Beck, as I entered the den to see Jade, Beck, Robbie, and Cat all standing up, "Is everything alright?"<p>

"Yeah, just some car and phone trouble." I uttered, trying to find the right words, "I'm really starving. Please tell me that you guys saved me something."

After sitting down with my friends and chowing down on some Chicken Fried Rice, Chinese Teriyaki Chicken, and some egg rolls; I told them of my very eventful night. Nix the mentioning of Ryder and Lauren.

* * *

><p>"So your car wouldn't start, the Cell Tower Bandit returned, and you caught a ride with a coworker named Audrey Quagmire?" asked Robbie, as he and Cat sat together on the floor.<p>

If you're wondering who Audrey Quagmire was, she's one of the other employees that work at the store.

Really nice lady, although she does smell of hush puppies.

* * *

><p>"Yeah, it was a very weird night." I laughed, chewing on some chicken, "But it's over, and that's all that matters."<p>

"That's true, but you still have to find a way to move your car and get it fixed." stated Andre, with his arm around me, "I can give you a ride home later and probably get my uncle to tow your car. He is a tow truck operator, and he does owe me a favor."

"And I know of a good mechanic who can take a look at your car." Beck added, receiving a nasty look from Jade, "What?"

"She didn't ask for you help."

"She didn't have to. I'm just being a good friend."

"That's all that you better be."

"She's dating Andre, why would I-"

"Don't question me." snapped Jade, trying to change the subject, "I just had a feeling that Vega would show up with some kind of strange situation."

"You say that like I planned this." I said, getting defensive, "Like I would actually do this for some kind of purpose."

"Wouldn't surprise me." spoke Jade, smirking, "You're not as much of a _good girl _as you want everyone to believe."

* * *

><p>Good girl?!<p>

Since when did I consider myself a good girl?

I'm not a bad girl, either; but I'm definitely not a _good_ girl.

I sometimes park in the handicap parking space, if the other spots are filled.

I have plenty of overdue library books... from 3rd grade.

And I've once taken more than one newspaper from the newspaper rack.

I was more of a **badass** than a good girl, if you ask me.

* * *

><p>"Jay... enough." said Andre, firmly, "Tori's had a pretty stressful day. It was her first day on the job and her car stopped working. Now's not the time to start something."<p>

God, I loved it when he stood up for me. Especially to Jade.

She just sighed and said, "Sorry, Dre... I guess you're right."

I don't think I'll ever be used to Jade being apologetic.

It was a rare sight. Like seeing a dog walking on its hind legs.

"We should get going. It's getting late." said Beck, as he, Jade, Cat, and Robbie got up, "I'll call you in the morning when I get the info about that mechanic."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." I said, while we all left the living room and headed for the front door.

* * *

><p><em><strong>10:51 P.M. <strong>_

Ten minutes after all our friends had left, Andre and I were busy eating ice cream and watching _Airplane!_.

We decided to treat the rest of the night as a special cuddle time.

* * *

><p>"Stop hogging the ice cream." Andre chuckled, as I sat on his lap and took another bite of Cookies and Cream.<p>

Mmm! My favorite.

"You want some?" I asked, scooping some up and hovering it in front of him.

"Mmhmm." he said, trying to take a bite.

"Okay..." I said, as I moved the spoon closer to him, only to quickly pull it away and into my mouth.

"Hey, no fair!" he whined, as I giggled, "I still haven't gotten any."

Hmm, that sounds like he's referring to _something_ else.

* * *

><p>"Of what? The ice cream... or me?" I asked, giving him a <strong>very <strong>flirty glance.

Picking up on what I was hinting at, Andre quickly tried to hide the grin on his face.

"The ice cream, but I wouldn't mind some of you." he responded, with a playful look.

"Wouldn't mind having some of you, too." I smiled, kissing him gently on the lips, "So... have you thought about when, you know... it'll happen?"

Curling his lips, Andre replied, "Yeah, I did. I thought about it a lot, but one thing has always popped up."

"And that is?"

"If you're ready or not."

"I am."

"Tori... it's not that simple. I know that it's not going to be perfect, but I want to make sure that you have the best experience that you can possibly have."

"I will, because I trust you." I said, placing my arms around him, "You love me, right?"

"With all my heart."

"And I love you. So this will be taking our love to a more _intimate _level. One that I'm ready to explore... with you."

Taking a moment to think, Andre smiled, "I guess that settles it then. It'll happened near the end of summer break, before school starts."

"And when it happens, it'll be very special... for the both of us."

"I'm already looking forward to it."

We shared one final passionate kiss before continuing to watch the movie.

* * *

><p>As I cuddled up closer to him, I sighed, "Talk about the perfect way to end the night, huh?"<p>

"Mmhmm, the best way possible."

"Can every night end like this?"

"Only if you want them to, Tori."

"Good. I like the sound of that."


	10. It's Not Goodbye, It's See Ya, Later

**Entry #010: It's Not Goodbye, It's See Ya, Later**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sunday, August 3r<strong>__**d**_

_**4:31 P.M.**_

Do you wanna know how things have been going since I've last updated an entry?

_Sighs_

You know what? I'll just skip this brief explanation and just tell you the full story.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Saturday, August 2nd<strong>_

_**2:49 P.M. **_

It was just another day of working in the store.

I was anxiously waiting for Andre to come take me out to lunch.

Why was I so anxious, you ask?

Probably because for the past couple weeks, Andre has been really busy.

You see, more than a month ago, Andre got a job being a personal assistant to this record producer.

Carrie Hampton.

She wasn't that well known, but it was a start for Andre.

Anyway, after some careful prodding, Andre was able to get the producer to listen to his demo.

At first it seemed like she didn't like it, but after awhile, she came to her senses.

She said that Andre had _some_ potential.

Duh, obviously!

He's one of the most talented musicians that I've ever met at H.A.

And I'm not just saying that because he's my boyfriend.

I _**really**_ meant it.

* * *

><p><em>Sighs<em>

I know what you're thinking.

"_What's the problem with that?"_

Well... this producer has been calling Andre to not only do work around the studio, but to help Andre improve his skills.

She's been calling him away so much, that we've barely been able to spend much time together.

It's almost gotten to a point where it reminds me of the days when Andre would hang out with Jade most of the time.

Ugh! How I hated those days.

But I know I shouldn't let this bother me.

I should be proud that Andre's talents are finally being acknowledged.

I just wish that I could at least spend just... an hour or two with my boyfriend... uninterrupted.

Was that too much to ask?

_Sighs_

I should stop complaining and just be thankful that we were going out for lunch in the first place.

* * *

><p>"Hey! Snap out of your daydream and set up those shirts." called out a voice that broke my train of thought.<p>

Ryder was still an employee here, but it seemed like now he was being more of a warden towards me.

After that weird night with him, Ryder just started acting differently around me.

Maybe it was because of how I treated him that night or something else.

I really didn't know.

But whatever it was, it was starting to get on my nerves.

"Hello! Did you not hear me? Stack those shirts!" he shouted, walking over to me.

"I'm not deaf, I can hear you." I replied, rushing to grab the box of men's shirts from the back room, "I was just lost in my thoughts."

"Well, think on your own time. Your break doesn't start for another two minutes; so for now, you work."

* * *

><p>Going over to the empty table near the entrance, I started absentmindedly stacking shirts.<p>

I was just so pissed that Ryder was being such an ass to me... for no reason.

After awhile, I found myself once again lost in my thoughts. Out of nowhere, someone wrapped their arms around my waist.

Startled, I was immediately relaxed when I heard the person's voice.

"Excuse me, do you happen to know where I can find my beautiful girlfriend? Cause I've been missing her like crazy."

Looking over my shoulder, I could see Andre's dazzling smile.

"Hmm, only if you can help me find my handsome boyfriend." I playfully replied, turning around in his arms, "Oh, there he is."

"Hey, cutie. You ready to go?" he asked, after we kissed.

"As ready as I'll ever be, just let me-"

_***A musical chime plays on Andre's phone***_

Taking out his phone and glancing at the text, he sighed.

Looking back up at me, Andre was greeted by my very stern pout.

"Tori..."

"No! No, you can't." I whined, walking away from him, "You've already cancelled five times, and I was really looking forward to this."

"So was I, but... Carrie says it's urgent."

"It's always urgent with her! She can barely put on her shoes without you helping her." I exclaimed, as Andre walked over to me, "We've barely had any time to ourselves since you've got this job."

"You know how important this job is for me. This could one day lead me to finally get a record deal." uttered Andre, placing his hands on my waist, "But I do hate that we rarely spend any time together, I really do."

Sighing heavily, I held his hands and pleaded, "Then stay... for us."

As his phone rang again, Andre checked the text and responded, "I'm... I'm sorry, but I promise that I'll make it up to you. I promise."

* * *

><p>As he rushed past me and exited the store, I could tell that he deeply regretted leaving.<p>

I couldn't believe it.

He actually left.

_Huffs_

That job. That boss. It was all starting to take its toll.

And it wasn't like Andre was the only assistant to help her out.

Carrie Hampton had four other assistants.

Why did she always have to harass Andre?

If you can answer that for me, then I would be forever grateful.

* * *

><p>I decided to go back to stacking shirt; you know, to get my mind off of yet another cancelled plan.<p>

The longer I thought about it, the more I became conflicted.

I was disappointed that Andre easily cancelled our lunch date... again, but I also felt like I shouldn't be upset.

Why, you ask?

Well, the job was very important to him and it was increasing his chance of finally snagging a deal.

So being really attentive to his boss could probably be beneficial later on.

My only problem with this was that it was starting to get out of control with the constant calling and long periods of working.

It was really worrying me and I seriously didn't know what to do about it.

* * *

><p>"Hey, why aren't you on break? You should have been gone five minutes ago." asked Ryder, as he walked over to me.<p>

Not really in the mood to deal with him, I simply answered, "Change of plans, I decided to just keep working."

Somehow sensing that I was lying, Ryder decided to be an asshole and replied, "Oh, Andre stood you up again? I'm honestly not surprised."

Holding back my anger and continuing to stack shirts, I ignored him.

But Ryder just wouldn't let it go.

"By your sudden silence, I'll take it that I was right." he continued, hovering over me.

He just stood there, grinning while he examined the shirts that I folded.

Nitpicking each one of them, just looking for something to complain about.

"At least you've gotten better at folding shirts. You sucked when you started." he muttered, tossing one of them at me, "And since your plans with your _ever so awesome_ boyfriend were once again cancelled; you can spend the rest of your lunch break bringing in the shipment of boots that just arrived."

_That doesn't sound too bad._ I thought, as I continued to stack shirts.

"Although you must do it all by yourself." Ryder added, turning to walk away.

"Wait! What?! I can't possibly carry all those boxes by myself!" I exclaimed, following him, "Why can't Audrey help me?"

"She's busy taking inventory."

"Well, what about Trey? I'm sure he's not busy with anything."

"Trey's on his lunch break. Something that you should have been on."

"How about you? You're not doing anything."

Walking behind the counter, Ryder sat on the high stool, and placed his head down on the counter top.

"What are you doing?" I asked, puzzled.

"Taking a nap. Now quit bugging me and go get those boots." he replied, closing his eyes and burying his head into his arms.

"You've got to be kidding me." I muttered, nudging him, "Hey! Wake up!"

He didn't respond.

The only noise that came from him was the gentle sound of snoring.

Whether he was really sleeping or not, was beyond me.

"This is so ridiculous!" I shouted, as I went to get started with the shipment.

What else could I do?

Mr. Gates, the owner, wasn't here... he rarely was; and Ryder... unfortunately for me, he was the shift manager.

Recently promoted, I might add.

Which for whatever reason, gave him some sense of superiority over me.

_Sighs_

I could have kept whining, but it was probably best to get started moving those boots.

Much better than hearing Ryder bitch about it later on.

* * *

><p><em><strong>7:52 P.M.<strong>_

After spending hours doing hard, unnecessary labor; I was finally ready to call it a day.

As I got in my car, I noticed that I was receiving another call from Andre.

For the past hour, he'd been calling me and to be honest... I really didn't feel like hearing his excuses or his promises.

Not at the moment, at least.

All I was eager to do was going home, taking off my shoes, and relaxing in front of the TV.

Plus, I had some leftover Chicken Alfredo that I was just dying to dig into.

* * *

><p>When I arrived home, I was surprised to see Andre waiting at my front porch.<p>

Whatever he had to talk to me about, it must have been pretty serious for him to meet me at my house.

As I stepped out of my car, he slowly approached me.

He had that anxious look that he always had when he had something very important to tell me.

I could only hope that this was good news.

* * *

><p>"Didn't expect to see you here." I said, shutting my car door, "Thought you would have still been at work or something."<p>

"When you didn't answer any of my calls, I had a feeling that you were still mad at me." he replied, as we walked towards the front door, "That's why I decided to come here... to tell you the big news."

Noticing that he looked pretty eager to tell me his big news, I brushed off my bitterness and asked, "What big news?"

As we sat down on the bench, Andre grabbed my hand and took a deep breath.

"When I got to the studio, Carrie had some pretty big news for me." he replied, "Do you remember that demo that I gave her a couple weeks ago?"

"Yeah, it took you awhile to get her to finally listen to it."

"Well, the other day, Carrie had sent some demos that she approved to this huge record company that she works under." Andre continued, growing more and more excited, "Somehow, she'd mistakenly sent mine along with the rest of them."

Slowly seeing where this was going, I uttered, "Andre... are you saying that..."

He couldn't help but happily nod his head, "It's not set in stone yet, but the head executive wants to meet me in person to discuss some things!"

This was pretty big. It was Andre's dream to get signed to a big record label and it finally looked like it was about to happened.

How could I not be happy for him right now?

* * *

><p>Joyously wrapping him in a tight hug, I smiled and said, "This is wonderful news! I mean, I know nothing's official yet, but if that record exec has any real taste in music, he'll sign you up immediately!"<p>

"Thanks, Tori. I just hope that I make a good enough impression with him." replied Andre, as I finally let him out of my Death Grip of Happiness.

"Who exactly is this guy?"

"That's the part that really got me... it's Shawn Quincy!"

"Shawn Quincy?! Are you serious?!"

"I've got his number on my phone, if you don't believe me." Andre responded, taking out his phone and showing me the number listed as 'Shawn Quincy', "I still have to call him to tell him my decision."

"Decision? What? You didn't already agree to meet up with him?" I asked, curious as to why Andre didn't already agree to meet up.

It was at that moment that I noticed that Andre's ecstatic expression slowly turned into a more troubled look.

"What? What is it?" I asked, holding his hand.

Taking a moment to find the right way to explain things, Andre answered, "When I talked to Shawn a couple of hours ago, I asked him if I could have some time to think about meeting up with him. Thankfully, he gave me until nine o'clock tonight to call him."

Still confused, I asked, "What's so difficult about meeting up with him that you need some time to think about it? Is he in a different part of the state or something?"

Shaking his head, he said, "No, he's much farther."

"Another state?" I asked, as I slowly started to worry.

"More like out of the States." uttered Andre, standing up, "All the way in merry ol' London."

London?!

**LONDON?!**

"He's all the way in London?!" I asked, getting up, "That's pretty far off."

"Yeah, no kidding. He's over at some music festival and won't be back in the US for another three weeks."

"So why can't you just wait to see him then?"

"I asked him that. Turns out he's been looking for some new talent to add to his label... and being ever so busy with other clients, if I can't meet up with him some time this week, then he'll look elsewhere."

"That's not fair! You worked hard to get where you are."

"He's one of the top music executives of the world, he can practically do anything he wants, except walk on water." sighed Andre, leaning against the wall, "And he pretty much said that he's really interested in my work, so..."

"How's your mom taking this news?" I asked, not even sure of how I felt.

"She was not entirely happy hearing about the long trip, but after a really long lecture about making grown up choices, she told me that it would be up to me whether I stay or go."

"And what did you say?"

"I told her that I had to get someone else's opinion before I made a decision." he replied, as he glanced at me, "Someone _really_ important to me."

* * *

><p>I could tell that he was at odds about what he should do.<p>

I instantly felt like I was the deciding force in all of this.

Even though he didn't _exactly_ say it, I just had a feeling that I was crucial to his choice.

I mean, I could be the selfish, clingy girlfriend who didn't want her boyfriend to travel half the globe to hang around British girls.

Especially if they're girls who looked like Emma Watson.

Wait... what am I saying? I trusted Andre. He wouldn't cheat on me for some Hermione wannabe.

Although, I've always felt that British girls had a unique level of attraction.

With their gorgeous, supermodel-like looks.

Sense of politeness.

And proper form of diction.

No! No, I was worrying about nothing. Andre was the most faithful guy that I've ever been with.

I had absolutely nothing to worry about.

But then I started to think about something else.

As I've told you numerous times already, Andre and I haven't exactly been spending much time together lately.

Matter of fact, these past ten minutes have been the longest that the two of us has had any alone time.

It's ridiculous, I know.

So I could have easily told him that I didn't want him to go.

The words were right there on the tip of my tongue.

But... *sighs* I really didn't want him to one day see this as a missed opportunity.

And I definitely couldn't live with that burden on me.

Because this could have lead to something really great for him.

So how could I stand in his way?

* * *

><p>After standing there for few seconds, Andre finally spoke up, "You know what? I shouldn't have drag you into this. I don't want to pressure you with my problems."<p>

"No, no, no! It's okay. Really." I said, walking up to him and holding his hands, "I-I want you to go."

Looking up at him, he had a somewhat surprised expression.

He probably thought that I would have quickly said no or something.

"What?" he asked, trying to clarify what I just said.

"I want you to go. Go off to London." I replied, trying to keep a tiny smile, "Don't worry about me."

Something about the way that I said that last phrase must have hinted to him that I wasn't being completely honest.

Frowning, he quickly responded, "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Say that I shouldn't worry about you." he answered, as we sat back on the bench, "And try to hide how you really feel about something that's clearly bothering you."

"I'm not hiding anything."

"Tori, remember what you told me weeks ago? We're a couple, so..."

"We don't have to be afraid to say what's bothering us." I sighed, "I know, I know."

"Then tell me the truth. How do you really feel about me going to London?"

I couldn't lie anymore. I was terrible at it.

It was just best to tell him the truth.

"I'm happy for you. I really am. I'm glad that you finally have this huge chance to get into the industry... but I hate that you have to go so far to do so. I mean, we haven't been hanging out much lately and we were supposed to have our _special_ day next weekend. So yeah, I'm completely split with this decision."

Suddenly remembering something, Andre replied, "I completely forgot about our day! Ugh, I didn't even start getting plans together. Being so busy with that job has got me so out of order."

"It's alright, I've been busy at work myself, a little too busy; but anyway, I really want you to go to London. I'll definitely miss you, but we can always call each other and Skype whenever we get the chance."

With a growing smile on his face, Andre said, "Right. Plus, its not like we're starting a long distance relationship or something. I'll just be gone for a couple of days and then before you know it, I'm back."

"And with work, hanging out with the others, and getting ready to go back to school, I'll have plenty of things to keep me busy." I beamed, as we both chuckled lightly, "Now go ahead and call Shawn, before its too late."

"Okay, okay! No need for you to start getting pokey!" Andre chuckled, as I started poking his sides, "It'll just take me a minute."

* * *

><p>After calling up Shawn and speaking with him for a good 15 minutes, Andre ended the call and laughed, "Well, looks like I'm London bound!"<p>

As I ran up to him and ensnared him once again in my Death Grip , I said, "That's wonderful! When do you leave?"

"Shawn had his assistant look up some LAX flight schedules and the one that seemed best for me was for tomorrow afternoon at 3:45."

"3:45? That's not so bad." I said, loosening my grip around him, "Um, since you don't have to leave until the afternoon... do you wanna come in and watch some TV, at least for an hour or two?"

When Andre hesitated to answer, I immediately replied, "Forget it. It was a stupid question. You obviously have to go pack up to leave tomorrow."

But Andre surprised me with his reply.

"No, it wasn't a stupid question. I mean, I do have to go pack up my things, but right now... you're more important."

Hearing him say that, it just... **damn, I've got an awesome boyfriend!**

It really took me awhile to keep myself from crying. It seemed so stupid to get overly emotional about this, but who cares?

It just felt so great to hear him say something like that.

Eventually, Andre noticed the one tear that escaped from my eye, "What's the matter, Tori? Why are you crying?"

Quickly wiping the tear from my face, I answered, "Nothing, its just that... you're awesome, you know that?"

"You're right, I am awesome." Andre chuckled jokingly, "But sometimes you gotta make time for those that you love. Especially adorkable brunettes named Tori."

God! If he kept saying things like that to me, I would be joyfully crying for days.

After we shared a brief, yet very fervent kiss on the porch, we both decided to finally go inside the house.

* * *

><p><em><strong>11:03 P.M.<strong>_

After over three hours of watching funny cartoons, eating some delicious Chicken Alfredo, and laying back on the couch with my boyfriend, I found myself slowly dozing off to sleep.

After all the extra work that I've done today, I was completely exhausted and found myself in serious need of sleep.

Laying up against Andre, I wrapped his arms around me and laid my head against his chest. You could say that he was like my very own cuddly pillow... that just so happened to have rock-hard abs.

* * *

><p>"Hey... wake up, sleepyhead."<p>

I could hear Andre's gentle voice whispering to me.

Opening my eyes slightly, I was greeted by his pretty smile.

So adorable.

Half awake, I tried my best to form some sort of response...

Heavy emphasis on the word _tried_.

"Hee hee, you're so adorably cute... like koalas... or turkey _sammiches_."

_Sighs_

Chuckling at my drowsy state, Andre replied, "Thanks... I think; you've must have had a pretty rough day at work to be this tired. C'mon, you should go to bed."

Still in my sleepy trance, I mumbled, "Nuh uh... no, I wanna stay here... and kiss you, piano boy."

"Maybe later, but now you really got to get some sleep and I really must get home to start packing up."

Realizing that Andre was picking me up to carry me up to my room, I giggled, "No! I don't wanna go to bed... if I do... who will protect my sugar castle?"

"I'll protect the castle, okay. No one's gonna break in." responded Andre, as we went up the stairs, "Your magical sugar kingdom is in good hands."

"Yaaaay." I yawned, as I slowly dozed back to sleep, "I can always count on you... my handsome prince."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sunday, August 3<strong>__**rd**_

_**3:11 P.M.**_

Waking up the next day, I rolled around in my bed.

Yawning loudly, I looked around my room.

The sunlight practically drenched everything within its reach.

The sheer brightness of it instantly snapped me out of my drowsiness, but was really got me up and running was when I saw what time it was.

"**IT'S 3:11?!**" I screamed, jumping out of bed and rushing downstairs, "Why didn't my alarm clock ring?! **WHY DIDN'T ANYONE AROUND HERE TRY TO WAKE ME UP?!**"

"Tori, can you please calm down?" asked my dad, sitting back on the sofa and entranced by his typical NASCAR race, "I'm sure you can still make it to school on time."

Ugh, whenever one of his races were on, he was pretty much dead to the world.

"Dad, its a Sunday and I'm still on summer break. I don't have school, remember?" I replied, as I decided to just go back upstairs to take a shower and get dressed, "Forget it, I don't have time for this. I have to get going!"

"Okay, but only if you remember to take the dog out for a walk."

"We don't have a dog!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>3:41 P.M.<strong>_

After rushing through what seemed like endless traffic, I was finally able to get to airport.

Took me awhile to find a parking space, though.

Thankfully, it didn't take me long to find which gate Andre was supposed to leave from.

"150, 151, 152, 153... there it is! Gate 154!" I said, as I rushed towards the gate.

* * *

><p>As I got closer to the gate, I noticed that Jade, Beck, Cat, and Robbie were already there.<p>

"What took you so long to get here, Vega?" asked Jade, snidely, "You knew the time that Andre was supposed to leave before any one of us, yet here you are... late as usual."

Not in the mood to hear any of Jade's crap, I asked Beck, "Please tell me that he didn't leave already. I overslept and..."

"He went to the restroom about a minute ago." Beck responded, walking over to me, "Lucky for you, his flight had a ten minute delay. Something about a glitch in the system."

Breathing a sigh of relief, I said, "That good... not the glitch, I mean, but that I'm not late to see him off."

"I still can't believe that Andre's going to London!" squeaked Cat, bouncing up and down, "I wonder if he'll get to meet Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter's not real, Cat. He's just a character." stated Beck.

"No, I'm pretty sure he's real." assured Cat, "He just lives a private life away from us Muggles."

_Sighs _

Typical Cat. She's so sweet, but you can't help but wonder what goes on in that pretty little head.

* * *

><p>"Okay, this is just too weird. There's no such thing as witches or wizards. Now can we all just shut up about it?" demanded Jade, crossing her arms, "Anyway, it's pretty cool that Dre might finally get a deal; even if he does have to travel halfway across the world to do so. Although, I must say that I am surprised to see you so calm about this."<p>

"Why should I worry? He's just going over there to speak with a major record executive." I stated, shrugging off Jade's negativity, "If anything, I'm proud of him. He's come a long way and he's finally being rewarded for it."

"Hmm, glad to hear you say that." a voice behind me spoke.

Turning around to see Andre, I eagerly hugged him, "I'm sorry that I'm late. I'm just lucky enough that your flight was delayed."

"Its okay, I'm just glad that you made it. Plus, I'm not surprised that you overslept. You seemed pretty tired last night." laughed Andre, taking out his phone, "But I must thank you for falling asleep on me."

Confused, I asked, "Why is that?"

"When I tried to wake you up, let's say... you started to say some _things_. Things that I'll enjoy listening to on my flight."

"What kind of things?"

"It'll be so much better for you to hear it." Andre replied, playing the recorded audio from his phone, "At first it was nothing but you mumbling, but after awhile you started saying some really funny things."

"Oh God, you recorded it?" I asked, surprised.

"I had to! You were so cute." smiled Andre, as the others came to listen.

* * *

><p>"Hmm, I didn't know that turkey <em>sammiches<em> were cute." laughed Beck.

"_Piano Boy_? Oh, now I get it, cause Andre plays the piano." wondered Robbie, finally understanding what I meant.

"You sure you weren't drunk, Vega?" Jade snickered, "Who knew that prissy little girls like you actually drank?"

"I wasn't drunk! I was just really sleepy." I reassured everyone.

"Aww, I didn't know that you two had your own sugar kingdom." chimed Cat, hugging both Andre and I, "You two are just so cute together!"

"Thanks, Cat. Uh, Tori, can I get a moment with you... alone?" Andre asked.

"Sure."

* * *

><p>Walking towards the windows, Andre surprised me when he picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist.<p>

"Whoo! Didn't see that coming." I giggled, twirling my fingers through his dreads, "So what did you have to tell me?"

"Oh, right. I had something to tell you." responded Andre, who was clearly enjoying having me wrapped around him, "Um... look, I know that I haven't been the best boyfriend lately. And although last night was really nice, it still doesn't make up for the other times. But I promise- No, I guarantee that when I get back from London... there's gonna be more "Us" time and I'm gonna do all that I can to show just how much you mean to me."

As I looked deep into his eyes, I could tell that he really felt terrible about how things had been going.

I couldn't let him go off to London thinking that I resented him or something.

"Andre, you're _not_ a bad boyfriend. You hear me? You're far from it, okay?" I assured him, while caressing his shoulders, "Aside from my drowsiness, last night was more than I could ask for. I got to spend time with my charming boyfriend, alone and uninterrupted. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was still special to me. So don't you go over to London thinking that you're a terrible boyfriend. You are my prince, after all."

Then at that moment, Andre had the prettiest smile that I've ever seen.

He must have really liked it when I called him that.

"I'm quite honored to be your prince, but what's a prince without his gorgeous princess?" he beamed, as he held me close while we kissed.

* * *

><p>We didn't care who was watching us; we just enjoyed being in each others company.<p>

And boy, did I enjoy being in his.

As we finally came up for air, Andre finally let me down, "Are you sure that I can't somehow sneak you onto the plane? Cause after that kiss, I'm definitely craving more."

"I wish I could, but look at it this way; when you get back, there will be plenty more where that came from." I responded, flirtatiously.

"Now that you've said that, I'm even more anxious to come back home to you." he uttered, while holding my hand.

* * *

><p>Ringing from the intercom came the voice of the gate agent, "<strong><em>Attention passengers, we are about to begin boarding British Airways Flight 282 to London. I repeat, British Airways Flight 282 to London."<em>**

"That's my flight." Andre said with a sigh, as he went to grab his messenger bag from Beck, "Thanks for holding my bag."

"No problem. Now you better get on that flight before it leaves without you." joked Beck, as he hugged Andre.

"How are you able to fit all of your stuff in that small bag?" asked Cat, poking Andre's bag "Your guitar can't possibly fit in there."

"His stuff are already on the plane." explained Robbie, placing his arm around her, "Those guys with the earmuffs placed it on the plane minutes ago. Remember, we saw them from the window."

"Oh! Right." Cat giggled, as she kissed Robbie.

"Ugh, I'll never get used to you two being together." muttered Jade, "It just feels so weird and confusing."

"You can hate all you want, cause it doesn't matter." Robbie responded, "As long as I've got Cat in my life, nothing you say can hurt me."

"Aww!" Cat and I uttered.

It was really sweet of Robbie to say that.

I never would have thought of him as a romantic, but ever since he and Cat started dating, he's changed.

* * *

><p>Smirking, Jade walked over to Robbie and kicked him in the leg.<p>

"Oww! What was that?!" exclaimed Robbie, as he fell to the floor.

"What the hell, Jade?!" asked Beck, helping Robbie to one of the seats.

"What? He said that nothing I say would hurt him." chuckled Jade, "So I kicked him."

"Why?!" asked Robbie, trying not cry.

"Cause I wanted to."

Yup, that about all the reasoning for Jade to do something.

* * *

><p>Laughing, Andre smiled and said, "Boy, am I gonna miss all of this."<p>

**_"We are now boarding First Class passengers. I repeat, First Class passengers are now boarding."_** rang the gate agent's voice over the intercom.

"Finally." Andre said, taking out his plane ticket from his jacket pocket.

"You're flying first class?" I asked, astonished.

"Well... yeah."

"Whoa, Shawn Quincy is really going all the way just to get you to London." Jade remarked, looking quite impressed, "I shouldn't be surprised, though; you're an amazing musician. He'll be a real jackass to pass up someone like you."

"Thanks, Jade." Andre uttered, as the two hugged, "Take it easy on the others while I'm gone."

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises." smiled Jade, as Andre walked over to Beck.

"You're gonna do great, man." Beck stated, "Just don't come back bragging about how the U.K. changed your outlook on life. We had enough of that when Robbie went to Puerto Rico."

"But that trip really did change my take on life." added Robbie, as Cat rubbed his sore leg, "I fell in love with New Age music over there. That seriously changed things for me."

"Yet, you didn't have to constantly play it wherever you went." mumbled Beck, under his breath, "Anyway, good luck to you, Andre. I know you're gonna kill it over there."

"Bring home that record deal!" shouted Robbie and Cat, joyously, as Cat ran up to hug him.

Smiling, Andre said, "Don't worry, I will.", while Cat sat back down to tend to Robbie's "wound".

* * *

><p>Turning to look at me, Andre said, "Last, but not least..."<p>

Putting on my best smile, I tried to hold back all of my emotions for this moment; but I just couldn't hold back hard enough.

I ended up bursting into tears. Practically rushing towards Andre and wrapped him in one final hug.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. I rather see your true feelings than a fake smile." he stated, rubbing my back, "Remember, you can always call me when you need me and we always have Skype. So don't cry, okay?"

"But that doesn't mean that I'm gonna miss you any less."

"I know. I'm gonna miss you, too."

Seeing the last couple of First Class members line up to enter the terminal, Andre uttered, "I have to go."

Wiping the tears from my face, I said, "Love you."

"Love you, too... cutie." he uttered, as he started walking to the gate.

* * *

><p>After the gate agent cleared him to go onto the plane, Andre looked back at me and waved.<p>

"Goodbye!" I shouted, as I waved back.

But Andre had something different to say.

"It's not goodbye. It's see ya, later!" he smiled, as he turned to walk down the terminal.

* * *

><p>After the last passenger boarded the plane, we waited by the window to see it take off.<p>

I'll have to admit, I was proud to see him off to London; but I could only hope that he would come back home safe and sound.

As the plane took off and left the runway, we all waved as one of our own was off to another country.

"See ya, later." I whispered, as the airplane slowly disappeared among the clouds.


	11. Texting On The Job

**Part III: The Start of a Cautionary Tale**

**Entry #011: Texting On The Job**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Wednesday, August 6th<em>**

**_12:45 P.M._**

It has been almost three days since Andre had left for London.

As much as I would love to say that things have been going well over there... it hasn't.

* * *

><p>For starters, Andre's acoustic guitar was destroyed during the plane's unloading.<p>

This really devastated him, seeing as it was his "lucky" guitar; which just so happened to also be the guitar that he started learning with.

To say that it was a bad way to start off his trip was an understatement.

But it only got worst.

When Andre finally got to the hotel that he was staying at, he was disappointed to find that the room next to his was being constructed on.

So, yeah... he really didn't get much sleep that first night.

The very next day, after waiting for over an hour and a half, Andre's first meeting with Shawn Quincy was cancelled. Apparently, Shawn was too busy with some of his other clients to deal with the one guy he was so eager to have fly over to London.

It seemed pretty ridiculous to me.

Almost like a waste of time.

But thankfully, Shawn had postponed their meeting to today... wait... I mean, tonight over in London.

Ugh, I'll never get used to the time differences.

* * *

><p>Anyway, all last night, Andre had been busy planning what he was gonna do today.<p>

Coming up with some new song ideas.

Writing new lyrics for some of his older songs.

Continuously practicing the set of songs he was gonna play for Shawn.

It was completely hectic!

But he wasn't at it alone.

Throughout it all, we were video chatting with each other.

Occasionally, Andre would ask for my opinion; ranging from whether his guitar playing sounded good, should he change up some of the lyrics, and whether he should or shouldn't use a certain song during the meeting.

Aside from him complaining that the guitar that he bought at one of the local music stores was a bit "stiff", his skills alone were enough to make him sound pretty good.

The only thing that worried me was that even though he kept acting as if none of the unfortunate events affected him, I could just tell that they did.

Every now and then, he might accidentally play the wrong chord or mix the lyrics from one song with another.

A second later, he would stress out for a bit and then quickly try to hide how he was feeling.

_Sighs_

I just wish that I could fly over to London, and give him a **big** hug.

He could sure use one right now.

But as much as I worried about my boyfriend, I couldn't ignore what occurred just an hour ago.

Saying it was ridiculous is putting it _very _lightly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>11:24 A.M.<strong>_

It was once again a pretty long day at work.

The store had a fair amount of customers coming in and out, so I was almost always on my feet.

Although, I couldn't say the same for my manager.

Somehow, Ryder had resided himself in the storage room...

...with our coworker, Vanessa.

He claimed like she was helping him organize the merchandise and taking up inventory, but I knew that that was a lie.

They were doing _other_ things back there.

How was Ryder getting away with this?

Beats me.

All I knew was that they had a thing for each other.

* * *

><p>Anyway, Vanessa really wasn't that bad.<p>

She was about my height, fairly slender, pale skinned; and unlike Cat, Vanessa had natural red hair.

She'd only been working here for about a week and so far, we've actually gotten along with each other.

Like, there were a few times where she would actually stand up for me whenever Ryder was being his typical self.

Even more surprising was how Ryder would really listen to her.

But even though I was appreciative of what she'd done for me, I couldn't help but wonder why she was hanging out with a guy like Ryder.

She could do so much better.

* * *

><p>As I stood behind the counter, I gazed around the store and notice that it was once again empty.<p>

Hmm, maybe I could send a quick text to Andre. Just gotta make sure that Ryder doesn't catch me.

Taking out my phone, I quickly sent a text to Andre's number.

_{Heyyy! :)}_

After about a minute, Andre finally replied.

_{lol is it weird that I was just about to text you?}_

_{Nope, not at all. I just wanted to send a quick txt before you met up with Shawn.}_

_{Thanks. I could really use a pick-me-up.}_

_{Why u say that?}_

_{I'm just so nervous right now, that I'm practically shaking. Not even kidding.}_

Reading that text made me feel even more worried for him.

If he kept on like this, he would be a complete mess when it came time to perform.

Thinking for a moment, I came up with the perfect way to get him to calm down.

_{Andre, snap out of it! You're gonna rock this meeting! You just need to take a deep breath, clear your mind off of what's bugging you, and think of the time we went to the library... to study.}_

_{You mean, the reference section?}_

_{Mmhmm. ;D}_

_{That was a pretty good study date. Especially because you wore your glasses. Sexy librarian.}_

I have to admit, I've always laughed whenever he mentioned that about my glasses.

_{Yup! lmao Remember how I would gently rub behind your ear? Don't deny it, you really loved that.}_

_{Okay, that would really make my day right now.}_

_{Feeling better?}_

_{Yeah, much better. Not jittery anymore. I'm calm... and maybe a little turned on. :)}_

_{Good. Just focus more on the calming part and you're good to go!}_

For some reason, Andre didn't immediately responded after that.

It wasn't until three minutes later that I got a reply.

_{Oh, sorry. The meeting's just about to start. Wish me luck!}_

_{You don't need any. You got this! :D}_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Bang!<em>**

The sudden slam of the storage room door caused me to accidentally drop my phone.

"Dang it." I muttered, quickly dropping to the ground, "Where is it? C'mon, where is it?"

As I scurried around the floor, I couldn't find my phone to be anywhere in sight.

That is until I came across the feet of someone wearing red Nikes.

* * *

><p>"Hmm, were you looking for this?" asked a voice that I dreaded hearing.<p>

Looking up, I gazed into the face of a smirking Ryder.

Leaning against the counter, he held my phone and seemed quite pleased with himself.

With a deep sigh, Ryder asked, "Texting on the job? You know the rules, Vega. This is what, the second time I've caught you?"

"I know, I know. It just fell out of my pocket." I lied, quickly standing up and bushing the dust off my hands, "I wasn't texting or anything."

"Oh, really?" smiled Ryder, turning on the screen of my phone.

"Wait!" I shouted, trying to snatch it out of his hands, "That's personal."

As Ryder read through my recent texts, he started laughing, "Aw! Looks like someone misses their boyfriend."

"Give it back!" I demanded, as Ryder continued to block me.

"Okay, I'll give you back your phone, but only because you gave me a good laugh for the day." Ryder smiled, returning my phone, "You can fool around on your own time, not when you're working."

* * *

><p>As Ryder started to walk away, I muttered, "I could tell you the same thing."<p>

Probably shouldn't have said that out loud.

"What was that?" asked Ryder, turning around.

"Nothing. I was just thinking out loud."

"Oh, really? Sounded more like a snarky comment." he insisted, leaning over the counter, "Well, spit it out. I'm dying to hear what's on your mind."

I could have easily avoided this.

All I had to do was deny that I ever said anything about him, and then went straight back to work.

Staring down at me, Ryder uttered, "Well, I'm waiting."

But as much as I wished that I didn't wound up in this situation, a part of me was glad that I did.

Why?

For several weeks, I've had to put up with Ryder's crap.

But now I couldn't take it anymore.

* * *

><p>"It's true, I was texting Andre earlier; but at least I'm not some arrogant jerk who loves harassing people." I stated, looking dead in his face, "I mean, God, you're such a hypocrite. You call me out for fooling around on the job, but you were <em>entertaining<em> Vanessa in the storage room for the past ten minutes."

The shock on Ryder's face was utterly hilarious.

He looked as if he didn't expect me to just come out with that.

"You sometimes take naps out in the open; on more than one occasion, you stayed out longer than your lunch break allowed; and boy!, who could forget the time you forgot to lock up the store, and several of the merchandise was stolen. Poor Audrey quit her job just because she though she was responsible. You didn't even try to admit to your mistake. You just sat there and let an innocent employee take the blame. God, you're so much worse than Andre said."

Mentioning Andre must've struck a nerve, cause Ryder started to look pissed.

"There you go again! Andre this, Andre that! Always about Andre. No one gives a fuck about your relationship with a guy who's on the other side of the world."

From this point on, Ryder was slowly making me more and more furious.

* * *

><p>"You hop and skip all around this store, thinking that you're so much better than everyone else. And for what? Just because you have the <em>most wonderful boyfriend in the world<em>? If he's so damn awesome, then why is his career more important than you?"

With just those last words, he was slowly crossing the line.

"You don't know a damn thing about my relationship!" I shouted, walking around the counter to confront Ryder, "And I don't have to explain myself to someone who sleeps around with anything that has a pulse."

"Don't hate just because you and Andre don't fuck much. Maybe then you'll stop acting so bitchy." laughed Ryder, crossing his arms, "Then again, who knows? Andre would probably be too busy writing songs to even do anything with you."

He was just trying to get to me.

But it wasn't gonna work.

"You're so pathetic. I'll never understand how Andre could have ever been friends with someone like you."

Chuckling, Ryder replied, "You know, Andre really was a good friend; and I'll always regret messing that up. But let me tell you something. Andre is one hell of a musician, and he's definitely going places... but one day, he's gonna reveal his true self to you."

"What are you saying?" I scoffed, tired of his games.

"I only have one question for you. When Andre finally makes it big, where exactly are you gonna be?"

Hesitating for a moment, I answered, "Hopefully, I'll be working on starting my career. What's your point?"

Giving me a pity stare, Ryder explained, "Hmm, do you honestly think that after Andre is successful, he'll be willing to stay in a relationship with you?"

"Y-yeah, he would. What does it matter?"

"You were gonna learn it one way or the other, but I might as well tell you." sighed Ryder, as Vanessa came out from the back room, "You're an anchor, and all you'll end up doing is holding Andre down. So what's he gonna do? He's gonna drop you, cause he's got bigger, more better things to do."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was scrapping the bottom of the barrel for anything that would upset me.

Andre wouldn't do such a thing... he loved me.

I mean, he _loves_ me.

* * *

><p>"If you really think that of Andre, then you honestly don't know him at all."<p>

"I don't care if you don't believe me. All I know is that I tried to warn you. It's gonna happen one day, and it's going to hit you **_hard_**. Hell, for all we know, Andre could be signing a record deal as we speak. Sooner or later, he'll be living it up in New York, with a ton of Grammys, and probably banging one or two of his backup sing-"

**_Smack!_**

With all my strength, I furiously slapped Ryder.

"How dare you say something like that?" I asked seethingly, as my hand stung from hitting him, "He wouldn't just leave me to further his career."

Rubbing the left side of his face, Ryder strangely didn't look at all upset, "I hope that felt good to you. Just to get all the anger and pain out. But trust me, the longer you stay with him, the more it's gonna hurt in the end."

Slowly calming down, I replied, "You're so... so sad. I almost feel sorry for you. How can you possibly live with yourself?"

"Easy. By not being ignorant of what's happening in front of me." Ryder remarked, as he walked past me, "And just so you know, you're fired."

* * *

><p>Wait... what?!<p>

Was I just fired?

As I stood there in utter disbelief, I could hear Ryder call out to me, "You might as well gather your things and leave."

Sniffling, I quickly turned around, "Why am I being fired?"

"Why? I could give you three good reasons why." Ryder answered, as Vanessa looked confused of what was going on, "Your attitude is disgusting, you assaulted your manager, and I caught you texting twice. Need I go on?"

I couldn't believe it.

This was so... so... fucked up!

"Wait, Ryder, don't you think this is a little harsh?" asked Vanessa, walking over to him, "Couldn't you just give her a warning?"

"Nope, she pushed too far and she's getting what was coming to her." replied Ryder, with a smirk, "For today, you'll have to take over for her."

* * *

><p>As Ryder left, Vanessa started following him, "But Ryder-"<p>

"Vanessa, you don't have to do that." I insisted, as I stopped her, "I wouldn't want you to lose your job as well."

"But it's not right, Tori. I mean, I know we haven't known each long, but it's not right for someone to get fired like this."

I have to admit, I did appreciate her wanting to help me. But I knew that this was a completely irreversible situation.

No point in dragging others down with me.

* * *

><p>"Thanks, but it's just a job. I can find another one." I uttered, as some people entered the store, "Um, you should go and see if they need some help."<p>

"I really am sorry." Vanessa apologized, before leaving to help the customers.

Sighing heavily, I grabbed my phone off the counter and made my way to the back room to gather my things.

It was just a job, and I could always find another one...

* * *

><p><strong><em>1:21 P.M.<em>**

Arriving back home, I was quick to grab my favorite pint of ice cream out of the fridge, and watch a marathon of _Impractical Jokers_.

Try as I might, neither the ice cream or the show was able to cheer me up.

All I could think of was how I was gonna explain this to Mom and Dad.

How was I ever gonna tell this to Andre?

**_*A musical chime plays on my phone*_**

Speak of the devil! It was him.

Immediately, my thoughts changed to hoping that he had some good news.

Now it looked like I was the one in need of a pick-me-up.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I was just thinking about you. How did things go?" I asked, eager to hear his news.<p>

**_{Well, I didn't get signed...}_**

_Sighs_

This couldn't be right. How could they not sign him?

Ugh, this day just keeps getting better and better.

"Andre, I'm so sorry. Maybe-"

**_{Whoa, Tori. Just listen. That's not what I mean.}_**

Confused, I asked, "Then what are you talking about?"

**_{*chuckles* I was in fact offered me a contract.}_**

Over joyously screaming at the top of my lung, I couldn't explain how insanely happy I was.

I knew that after all that hard work and determination, that in the end, it would all work out just fine.

**_{Ha ha! Sounds like you're more than happy about it.}_**

"Yeah, I really am. But, um... how can you not be signed, yet be offered a contract?"

**_{Well, for most of the meeting, all Shawn wanted to know was everything about me. Something about "knowing the man before the musician". Anyway, after that I played for him a couple of my songs, he and the other executives said that I had potential to become something big. We then talked some more about legal terms, promoting, and a bunch of other stuff. After all that, Shawn told me that he's eager to get me signed with his label.}_**

"So why didn't it happen yet?"

**_{That's where it gets tricky. He wants me to wait until I have an entertainment lawyer with me to finally set things in order. So it's gonna take me awhile to find a reasonably priced one.}_**

"How long are we talking?"

**_{A couple more days.}_**

"How much is a couple more days?"

It was pretty quiet on his side.

"_Andre?_"

**_{A-about a week.}_**

"A week?! Seriously?" I asked, once again feeling the depression coming over me, "I thought you were only staying for three or four days."

**_{I know, but Shawn seems pretty confident in me. I wouldn't have agreed to this if I wasn't absolutely sure that the outcome would be good.}_**

* * *

><p>Ugh, a week? I mean, it'll be more than a week if you add the past couple of days, but still...<p>

Even though I've already dealt with being away from him for a whole month, I still missed him a lot.

_Sighs_

Guess I'll just have to suck it up.

* * *

><p><strong><em>{What's even crazier is that after I get signed, he wants me to start recording an EP.}<em>**

"An EP?"

**_{Extended play. Shorter than an album, longer than single. So if things turn out right by the end of this trip, I'll have an EP with four of my best songs... hold on a second.}_**

From what I could tell, Andre was talking to a woman. I could barely make out what they were saying, but what I could hear was something about "going out", "dinner", and "see the nightlife of the city".

As much as I tried to hold back my curiosity, I couldn't help but wonder who it was he was talking to.

**_{Okay, I'm back. Um, that was Hope Quincy, Shawn's daughter. He sent her to take me out to this restaurant he owns.}_**

"Oh, is Shawn gonna be there too?" I asked, trying to ignore my envious thoughts.

**_{Yeah, he said he wanted to talk some more about the future of my career... wait! I'm sorry. I've been talking way too much. *chuckles* Um, how was your day at work? That manager of yours still being a hardass?}_**

This was exactly what I was fearing.

Andre has pretty much had the greatest day of his life, and now... now he wanted to know how things had been going with me.

Only problem was I had nothing but bad news.

_Sighs_

Just like I couldn't bring down Vanessa with my problems, Andre shouldn't have his day ruined because of my issues.

After all he'd been through since he'd got to London, and for things to finally come up for him?

I'll just have to wait to tell him later... or not at all.

* * *

><p>"No, we resolved our issues. You can pretty much say that I won't have to deal with them anymore." I muttered, eager to move on from this, "Um, my mom is calling me. Talk to you later tonight?"<p>

**_{Yeah... sure. Love you.}_**

"Love you too."

**_{Bye.}_**

* * *

><p>As I laid back on the sofa, I gazed blankly at the muted TV.<p>

This was gonna be one _**long** _week, and I was sure that there were more problems yet to come.


End file.
